‘I was an idiot’: Stallone regrets doing his own stunts throughout his career

After decades of action films, Sylvester Stallone measures the physical cost of his exploits. Nine back operations, three cervical fusions and repeated injuries: the star of Rocky and Rambo advises young people not to follow his path…

Sylvester Stallone paid dearly for his taste for action.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, the actor who has just turned 80 looks back on the injuries accumulated over the course of his career and regrets having wanted to perform his own stunts. “I have millions, millions of regrets”he confides straight away before specifying:

“I could literally spend half an hour talking about my injuries, how many there are. Not one or two: I could spend thirty minutes detailing them one by one, because they end up accumulating.”

After filmingExpendablesin 2010, the damage resulted in nine back operations, three cervical fusions and injuries to both shoulders. “It was brutal”he summarizes, adding that he never quite regained his previous physical state.

Directed by Stallone himself, the action film notably brought together Jason Statham and Mickey Rourke. During a fight scene with former WWE wrestler Steve Austin, a stunt went wrong, leaving Stallone with dislocated shoulders and a broken neck. The actor had to undergo numerous surgeries, including the placement of a metal plate in his neck and spinal fusion operations. Its conclusion is now clear:

“Let others do their job. Don’t be a daredevil, don’t try to be smart. Many people consider performing their own stunts…don’t do it. Especially not. Let the professionals take care of it. We cannot overcome gravity; when you hit the ground, you have lost, and the consequences always catch up with you in the end.“

Far from congratulating himself on having pushed his body to its limits, Stallone today takes a harsh look at his past choices:

“People ask me if I’m proud of what I’ve done. No. I think I was stupid for doing all that. If I’m proud to have broken myself into pieces? No but finally, frankly… no!“

The actor had already confided to New York Times that this approach almost “masochistic“had cost him dearly:”If I could do it all over again, I’d say: Let someone else carry the flag and don’t do your own stunts..”