At times, a movie is seen by millions of people, and yet nobody really knows what is going on behind the scenes. That was the case with something that occurred during the filming of Rocky IV.
Sylvester Stallone really entertained us with his portrayal of Rocky Balboa in the Rocky series. In the fourth movie of that series, Rocky IV, something occurred that almost cost still the actor his life.
He disclosed what happened on his YouTube documentary, in which he said that one of the more pivotal scenes in the movie left him seriously injured. It was during the fight scene with Dolph Lundgren.
Lundgren, who played the Soviet boxer in the movie, Ivan Drago directed a powerful punch to Stallone’s chest. In speaking about the incident, he said the impact was similar to being thrown against the steering well after a car accident.
After the punch, Stallone was hurting for quite some time but he still didn’t know how much damage had actually been caused.
Stallone said: “He pulverized me. I started feeling some discomfort in my chest later that night, though I didn’t notice it at the time.” The impact caused his blood pressure to go up to 260, and it was concerning for doctors.
He was then transported to St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California. Eventually, he would spend four days in the intensive care unit.
He reflected on that time in the hospital, saying: “I’m in the intensive care unit, and the only other people here are nuns.
“I was then forced to return to the arena and complete the battle.”
If you would like to see the scene where Stallone was injured, it did make it into the final cut of the film. Stallone defended that decision, saying: “How could you possibly rule out that scene?”
It’s just another reason why we appreciate that movie so much because it is so authentic.
