Sylvester Stallone. The true story behind his success will inspire you to pursue your dreams!
You probably have seen the popular 1976 movie Rocky before, and you know that it’s one of the most successful movies in history, but did you know all the struggles its protagonist and screenwriter, Sylvester Stallone, had to go through to reach his goals?
Rocky was the first movie starring Sylvester Stallone, it’s been realized with just $1 million budget and unexpectedly grossed more than $200 million at the box office.
But what’s the truth behind Stallone’s success? Let me tell you his extraordinarily inspiring story:
Everybody knows Sylvester Stallone, but just a few know the inspiring story behind his success, a story about failure, rejection and the eventual achievement of his dreams, a story that should inspire you to never give up your goals.
Have you ever wondered why he has such a “unique” expression? He was born paralyzed in the lower left part of his face. Furthermore, his speech had not the perfect diction you would expect from an actor.
In mid 1970s he went to New York to pursue his dream of being an actor, but he found nothing but closed doors. He was broke, so he had to sleep for three weeks at the New Jersey Bus Terminal.
He even had to sell his beloved dog, his best friend, for $25. This was the lowest point of his life.
One day, while watching a Muhammad Ali match, he got an idea for a screenplay. He worked on it without sleeping for a whole weekend, and after 3 days of work the script was ready.
One of the first offers he got were $125,000 for the movie rights, but the producers didn’t want him to act in it. But this wasn’t his dream and walked away.
He had the guts to refuse such an offer, even if he was so broke. After a few weeks they offered $325,000, and he refused again. Eventually they agreed for him to act in the movie, but with a very low salary for a leading role, only $35,000.
Guess which was the first thing he did with that money? He tracked down the person he sold the dog to, and bought back his best friend, spending $15,000.
The dog also starred in the movie, you can see him in the famous scene with Rocky running up the stairs. Rocky grossed $200 million at the box office.
Stallone had to go through the hardest path to get where he was, but all the sacrifices eventually paid off!
“It ain’t about how hard you get hit, it’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving on. That’s how winning is done”
What this story teaches us is that if you want something badly enough and if you work harder than you can, you make the impossible possible.