Anthony Ippolito portrays Sylvester Stallone in Peter Farrelly’s “I Play Rocky,” about Stallone’s fight to star in the screenplay he wrote. Ippolito spent 18 months preparing, gained 40 pounds of muscle and spoke with Stallone in lengthy Zoom sessions.
After learning about the project, Ippolito made a self-tape in his grandmother’s basement, using a heavy punching bag to capture Rocky’s physicality; Farrelly ended casting after seeing it. Ippolito said Stallone shared details in Zoom conversations about his struggles before success and how facial paralysis affected his path as an actor.
The film recounts Stallone’s refusal of a $300,000 offer from producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler as he held out to play Rocky. After the Toronto world premiere, Ippolito said awards-season discussion was “a lot to take in” and hoped positive reactions would draw more viewers. The film is scheduled for limited U.S. release Nov. 6, followed by nationwide expansion Nov. 20 through Amazon MGM Studios.
