Sylvester Stallone is opening up about his long-harbored hurt at reportedly losing out on owning a stake of his own creation: the multi-million dollar franchise Rocky.
The actor, 73, sat down with Variety for an interview in which he discussed his regret over not pushing for ownership of the film that made him a global icon.
“I have zero ownership of Rocky,” he claimed. “Every word, every syllable, every grammatical error was all my fault. It was shocking that it never came to be, but I was told, ‘Hey, you got paid, so what are you complaining about?’”
While still hurt, Stallone says he regrets not pushing hard enough when negotiating his deal for Rocky.
“You don’t want to ruffle the feathers of the golden goose,” he said by way of explanation.
“It’s like my brother,” Stallone said of the boxer character. “It’s the only voice that I can say what I want without being ridiculed, or being silly, or being precious or sentimental because he is that way.”
The 1976 film earned 10 Oscar nominations, including wins for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing.
Stallone has amassed a fortune for the films — he claims he made $2.5 million for the first installment — including Rocky II to V, Rocky Balboa and the Creed films starring Michael B. Jordan.
Stallone famously sold his dog Butkus when he couldn’t afford to feed him, and bought his dog back after he was paid for the first Rocky.
