Round 7... Sly Stallone Vs. the AICN readership! Ding-ding-ding!!!

Ahoy, squirts! Quint here once more to post Round 7 of the Sly Stallone 200 Questions thingy. This one isn't as ribs-hurting hilarious as the last one, but Stallone's still on his roll. I especially like his PS... I, for one, can't wait to hear him talk about DEATH RACE 2000... I have a beautiful one-sheet of that desperate to get framed and mounted on the wall... They sure knew how to make posters back then... Anyway, enjoy Round 7!!!

CLICK HERE FOR ROUND ONE! CLICK HERE FOR ROUND TWO! CLICK HERE FOR ROUND THREE! CLICK HERE FOR ROUND FOUR! CLICK HERE FOR ROUND FIVE! CLICK HERE FOR ROUND SIX! AND HERE'S ROUND 7!!!!

1. Dear Mr Stallone. In the Movie Rocky 3 ur character was given the statue and I'm sure he was touched, how does it really feel to have that there as a monument? You did make that spot famous. And are you worried that people having rough times might toss their motorcycle hemets at it? Justin Luke Arce.  Brooklyn NY.

Well to have a statue is… how can you say… overwhelming. Words escape me. Dumbfounded. It’s like ROCKY has taken on a life of its own and I’m sitting in the balcony watching his life go on. The character represents some part of the Philadelphia soul that I accidentally happened on. I wish I was clever enough to say it was all part of a master plan, but it wasn’t. Rocky is kind of a cinematic anomaly and I’m just proud to be a part of it. Plus the pigeons needed a new place to land, why not Rocky’s head and shoulders?  

2. Hallo Sly! Is it possible that we see a movie "THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS" (yes, the Frank Miller Comic) with you as the old Batman? I think that is the perfect part for you! I wish you good luck for "Rocky Ballboa" and "Rambo IV" and I hope we can see anytime in Vienna! Welcome back! Raphael Rottensteiner Vienna

  Well in a couple of years I’d rather play the old fat man rather than the old Batman, because I’ve been staying in the gym so long, I’m due to have a meltdown and then back to the fat hose for eternity. So me getting into a comic book hero’s leotards would require the same effort as packing an Iowa pig into a thimble… but I’m flattered to have been considered for such a noble character.

3. As one of the best action stars of the 1980's early 90's, how do you feel about all the other action stars of the era coming back to give "one last hurrah" to some of the films that sky-rocketed their careers? (i.e. Schwarzenegger - Terminator 3, Bruce Willis - Die Hard 4, Harrison Ford - Indy 4, Eddie Murphy – Beverly Hills Cop IV  and you yourself - Rocky Balboa and Rambo 4). Do modern day action stars struggle to live up to the entertainment of the "good ol' days"? Brandon Chisholm -Chicago

  I think it’s pretty dangerous for action heroes to try and push it. I realize I am already on very thin ice and don’t recommend my two friends Bruce and Arnold to do it unless they had this overwhelming, gigantic ego-tick crawling away inside of them to finish this series on a certain note. I think there’s a big difference between the modern day action dud compared to the latter day action crud. Whenever a dud confronts a crud, bad things happen. But all I can say is… take the top five action guys and line them up against the old school action guys and what you’ll have is five young action guys wearing toenail polish and answering to the name “Bitch.”

4. Sly, when are you going to move to Philadelphia and run for mayor? You'd win in a landslide, yo! James Doolittle Philadelphia, PA

  Being the mayor of Philadelphia, believe it or not, has crossed my mind, but I know I would succumb to corruption and I don’t want to spend my last couple of years as mayor in Holmesburg Prison. The idea is intriguing and really did cross my mind, but I don’t think I have the ability to interact everyday with people on a non-stop conveyor belt, never-ending schedule of handshaking.

5. When you presented the idea of Rocky Balboa to Revoloution studios and maybe others you went to previously, what kind of resistance did you get from them to make this film? was it a hard sell? Russell, from Crawley in the u.k

  The main resistance to making ROCKY BALBOA was age, but it was also something deeply personal. When Kirk Kerkorian, who owned MGM at the time, met me at a charity event, said “Have you considered making one more ROCKY?” I said “I’d love to take a run at it.” He said, “Well, call my man Alex, who runs MGM for me.” So the next day I called Alex and he became incensed and said, “Nobody tells me what to do.” I said, “Well, your boss said I should call you.” He said “Boss? No one lords over me.” So needless to say, when I heard that, game over. He just was a pillar of negativity and resistance.

6. Sly- In "Remembering Charlie," Jerry Epstein's book on Charlie Chaplin, you are mentioned quite extensively. In fact "Rocky" was one of the last films Charlie ever saw.  In the book Mr. Epstein says you were never able to comment on your appreciation for Chaplin's films, although he says you were a huge fan and had hoped to "have an audience with the great maestro." Could you tell us a bit about your relationship with Charlie and the effect he had on your career? Eric Paul Erickson Chicago, IL

  I was scheduled to see Charlie Chaplin, but I froze myself out of that by, believe it or not, being too nervous, like I did when I was suppose to meet Elvis. I love Charlie Chaplin. I borrowed the hat idea from Charlie Chaplin and always pictured (in a urban, concrete, trashy way) that Rocky was the slight embodiment of The Little Tramp.  

7. Sly- Is it me, or did you grow up a pro wrestling fan? From Paradise Alley to Thunderlips, wrasslin' has popped up in your movies. If I'm not mistaken, your mom was even a manager in GLOW (the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling). Obviously, we all know wrestling is entertainment and really about telling stories with violence. So are there any tricks from the squared circle that you've incorporated into your flicks? Joe V

  I’m a big fan of wrestling. Wrestling is vascular fairytales performed between half-ton behemoths under the hot lights of battle. Good against evil, and every problem in the world is solved by a forearm to the throat or a knee to the package crammed into a straining Speedo. I’ve used a great wrestler named Terry Funk, who was in PARADISE ALLEY and he choreographed much of the street fighting in ROCKY V. I’m really impressed with the skill and strength and body intelligence that these men possess.

8. For many Edgar Allen Poe fans the thought of you directing, let alone writing a film based on such a prolific writer is, to say the least, a little scary.  That's not because we feel your a bad writer or director but this type of bio-pic is a far cry from anything you have ever involved yourself with before.  How will you did you approach the screenplay (structure, character development etc.) and in what ways will this project differ from from the more action based movies you have written?  I also have one other question:  Because of such movies as Rambo, Driven, the Specialist etc. you have in some type-cast yourself.  Will you someday take on roles outside of the realm you so often find yourself in. Thanks for your time, Vivavitalogy Green Bay, WI

Would you be upset if I called the movie “Yo, Poe”? Just kidding. Poe is a very serious subject and no matter how it’s made, people will be offended… or at least Poe scholars will. I try to humanize Edgar (or Eddie, as he was called by his friends) to a fella who has everyday problems that are relatable to the audience, but I also spend a great deal of time dwelling on his stories, which illuminate his genius and his internal chaos.

9. Sly: No bigger fan here, and I am curious.  What was your max on the bench press, squat, etc.? Back in the late 1980s-early-1990s you appeared to look the biggest/most massive.   Kirk

  I used to be able to bench press around 385-400 lbs. and then I severely tore my right pectoral so under my arm I have 160 stitches and I had to have a window cut into my shoulder bone, and cable laced through the damage, and muscle pulled back to the bone where it was attached. That’s why I’m so vascular on one side. It might be interesting to note that I received this injury, I was stupid enough to get into a bench press contest with former Mr. Universe, Franco Columbo, who was considered one of the strongest men in the world. The accident happened in his garage, which was inhabited, believe it or not, by this demented-looking one-winged spotted owl. I couldn’t make this up. When my muscle exploded, I fell onto the floor. Franco pulled the weights off of me and all I could see was my arm turning black and that friggin goofy, one-winged, mouse-munching motherfucker flapping around in tight circles. By the way, my best squat was 550 lbs

10. Are you going to be coming to see Everton football club as Robert Earl promised when he bought his shares in the club? And can we expect you to put in a guest appearance in goal ALA "Escape to victory"? Regards, Ray Finch. Liverpool UK

I’m definitely coming over as Robert Earl promised to watch the soccer games, but I learned my lesson and I am perhaps the worst goalie in the entire universe. Clarabell the Clown could block more shots than me. But I do respect the incredible skill it takes to play that game. P.S. I hope everyone starts asking more questions about DEATH RACE 2000, FIST, PARADISE ALLEY or any of the others because there are a lot of interesting stories along the way.