Few artists have life stories as interesting and as inspiring as their works of art, the legendary Sylvester Stallone is a perfect instance of being an inspiring figure both on and off-screen.

During the late 60s, which was the early phase of his career, Stallone found himself playing uncredited extras in films Woody Allen’s political satire Bananas and even Alan J. Pakula's thriller Klute.

In 1974, Stallone did manage to play a substantial role in The Lords of Flatbush, where he also wrote his dialogue. But the film didn't yield any subsequent work of worth for Stallone.

Dissatisfied with his career trajectory, Stallone realized that he could apply his writing talents to carve a niche for himself in the business.

The inspiration presented itself during a boxing match between then-world champion Muhammad Ali and an unknown Chuck Wepner. Wepner wasn't even close to Ali in talent and power, however, Wepner did deliver a few solid punches and even managed to knock Ali down. Ali did emerge victorious but Wepner left an indelible impression on Stallone.

Wepner became the impetus for the idea of Rocky Balboa, the underdog who wasn’t necessarily the biggest, the strongest, the swiftest, or the smartest but possessed the indefatigable spirit to persevere despite being confronted with seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Stallone finished the first draft of his script about Rocky in just three days. But this milestone was merely the beginning of a prolonged struggle to turn this script into a feature film. The script underwent myriad drafts and improvements.

Stallone approached various film studios hoping to realize his dream. Every studio executive agreed that the script was exceptional and would make an outstanding film, but they had a major caveat. They preferred viable stars of those days such as Burt Reynolds, Robert Redford, or Ryan O’Neal to play Rocky.

One studio offered Stallone a handsome amount of $365,000 for the screenplay of Rocky. At that juncture of this life, Stallone was impoverished to the extent that he had only $102 in his bank account. He was even compelled to sell his dog.

The lucrative sum was the bird in hand for Stallone. If Stallone was a conventional thinker, he would have taken the money and turned his life around. He would have worked on another script for himself later on. Stallone had good reason to do so. The only certain aspect of the film business is uncertainty. Few films get made the way they have been written. Fewer among them receive an appropriate release. Few among these manage any success. Being relatively unknown, Stallone had no reason to believe that Rocky would be his ticket to stardom.

But despite all of these obvious challenges, Stallone probably in his subconscious knew that Rocky was his path to glory. He knew he would regret it if he had sold the script, which was like a piece of his heart, for short-term gains.

Hence lucrative temptation was resisted and the hunt for a studio that would agree to allow Stallone to play the lead in the film continued. 

Stallone said, “I thought, ‘You know what? You’ve got this poverty thing down. You really don’t need much to live on.’ I sort of figured it out. I was in no way used to the good life. So I knew in the back of my mind that if I sell this script. and it does very very well, I’m going to jump off a building if I’m not in it. There’s no doubt in my mind. I’m going to be very, very upset. Laughs. So this is one of those things, when you just roll the dice and fly by the proverbial seat of your pants and you just say, ‘I’ve got to try it. I’ve just got to do it. I may be totally wrong, and I’m going to take a lot of people down with me, but I just believe in it.’”

Perseverance paid, Stallone manages to convince United Artists to agree to make Rocky with Stallone as the titular character. But they had strict conditions. The budget is just over $1 million. Stallone received $25,000 for the film, he used $15,000 of the money to buy his dog back, the dog even played a part in Rocky.

The studios had little hope for the film and placed harsh restrictions. If the film ran over budget, the studio would not pay. If the film lagged in schedule, the studio would not offer any support. There was no opportunity for trial and error or experimentation. Stallone had to get it right and do so hopefully in the first attempt.

But the best of human achievements often occur during the worst and most adverse of circumstances. Despite all the odds and challenges, the film was completed on schedule and to Stallone's satisfaction.

But the challenges were far from over.

The film was screened around Hollywood and didn't receive positive reactions from the audiences, but it wasn't an instant hit that Stallone probably hoped for.

Rocky was then screened at the Director’s Guild, in front of 900 industry insiders.

Stallone revealed, “The laughs weren’t coming where they were supposed to. The fight scenes seemed to be listless, as the response was. And I just sat there, as everyone left the theatre, and I couldn’t believe it. I really blew it. I was humiliated and saddened by it."

But Stallone received a pleasant surprise in a few moments, perhaps the most pleasant in his life.

"I walked down three flights of stairs out of the theatre. Everyone from the theatre were standing there waiting for me. And they started to applaud. I mean truly applaud. I’ll never experience a moment like that again.”

In time, the film received the attention it deserved from audiences and critics.

Rocky grossed $225 million globally at the box office, became the highest-grossing film of 1976, and went on to receive nine Oscar nominations and win three, including Best Picture.

The film is regarded as the greatest sports film of all time. But categorizing it as a sports film would be a great disservice to Stallone's masterful work. Boxing was merely the route that Rocky achieved success. The film wasn't about boxing but instead the triumph of the human spirit despite all unwinnable odds mirrored.

Stallone had managed to achieve in real life what Rocky had achieved on screen. He had faced adversity and an easy escape route at every juncture of the making of Rocky, but he chose the difficult but righteous path and emerged supremely triumphant. 

Stallone followed Rocky with many more memorable pictures that became blockbusters. It is not just the success but also the consistency and longevity that is remarkable. At every point in his career when it seemed like he was fading away, Stallone has consistently defied the odds to rise like a phoenix from the ashes and shine brighter than before.

Stallone is one of only two movie stars in history (alongside Harrison Ford) to have starred in a box-office No. 1 film across six consecutive decades. 

Here's wishing the great man a very happy birthday.

Image: Towpilot via Wikipedia