Sylvester Stallone knew he had met his match the second he locked eyes on hisRocky IVcostar Dolph Lundgren.
The 72-year-old action star spoke about his legendary career at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday. Stallone did not mince words when it came to his fictional boxing opponent, Ivan Dragon, from the 1985 sequel.
“Dolph Lundgren walked in, and I hated him immediately,”Stallone said, according toVulture.
“I had to find a superhuman being as an opponent, someone who would be overwhelming.” Rocky’s Soviet nemesis fit that bill perfectly, Stallone recalled. “Oh, that’s right, he’s perfect … This is what I would imagine they would create as an athlete — someone who is literally perfect. Indestructible. Shoulders, calves, forearms, giant butt, neck, back, everything.”
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Things didn’t get any better as the filming schedule picked up. The actor claimed that Lundgren nearly killed him as the two filmed their big fight scene for theRockysequel, leaving Stallone in the hospital for days after just one punch.
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“He hit me so hard he almost stopped my heart,” he said. “I told him, ‘Why don’t we just do it? Just try to knock me out. Really cut loose as hard as you can.’ That was a really stupid thing to say. Next thing I know, I’m on a low-altitude plane to the emergency room, and I’m in intensive care for four days. And there are all these nuns around.”
The pair ultimately patched things up, going on to reunite for all threeExpendablesmovies, with a fourth sequel which began filming in April.
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Rambo V: Last Bloodhits theaters in the fall.
source: people.com
