Sylvester Stallone is one of the world’s most solvent action heroes and one of the few actors to ever have a film that has topped the box office for six straight decades.
However, the 76-year-old Oscar nominee admitted he had regrets in his life, including turning down a proposed $34 million paycheck to star in another ‘Rambo’ movie in the ’80s.
When asked how much he’s ever paid for any of his dozen roles, Stallone proudly told that he refuses to make another Rambo movie, even for millions of dollars.
“I turned 34 down,” he said of the massive paycheck he handed down when he was young. “We did ‘Rambo III’. We thought it was going to be the biggest hit – that was before it came out. And I was paid a fortune for it. Then they say: ‘We want ‘Rambo IV’. Here it is: pay or play, 34.” I’m like, ‘Let’s not jump the gun here…'”
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Sylvester Stallone turned down a massive paycheck for another Rambo movie in the ’80s.
“And that’s in 1980 dollars,” Stallone added. THR surmised that $34 million would now be worth about $85 million due to inflation. “In earnest. This is no joke. Oh boy what an idiot. Now I’m thinking about it and… wow.”
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Stallone played former soldier John James Rambo in five films. The character suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, which made him a skilled survivor due to his time spent in the Vietnam War.
When it came to the long-held rumor of another “Rambo” project in the works, Stallone looked to the future with hope.
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“I think it will happen,” he said. “I wanted to do it like a Ken Burns documentary about Vietnam, where you let young Rambo in there and he’s this outgoing guy, football captain, and then you see why he becomes Rambo. But what they want to do is a modern day story where I pass the torch. It will be close.”
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A difficult part of Stallone’s success has been reconciling failed projects or less-than-perfect aspirations in his career.
“I felt like I wasted a lot of time. Now I realize there’s only so many bullets left in the gun. Very few,” he said. “When you’re young you just shoot around wildly and hope you hit something. Now you don’t have the luxury of missing out – especially with family and kids. That’s what I regret the most.”
He added, “Everyone says, ‘I wish I had shown more love,’ or ‘I wish I had spent more time with the kids.’ I drive this boat. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to do the reality show I took a lot of shit on.
Stallone’s wife, Jennifer Flavin, filed for divorce on Aug. 19 in Palm Beach County after 25 years of marriage. At the time, Stallone confirmed to Fox News Digital in a statement: “I love my family. We address these personal issues consensually and privately.”
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They have three daughters: Scarlet, Sofia and Sixtine. He was previously married to Brigitte Nielsen from 1985 to 1987 and had sons Seargeoh and Sage with his ex-wife Sasha Czack. Sage died of heart disease in 2012 at the age of 36.
With the divorce on the table, the couple reconciled weeks later when a Florida judge signed an order staying the case. He admitted the turbulent time in his relationship will be part of his new reality show with his family.
“I thought it was the ultimate home movie. This is an opportunity where I will be with my children in a working condition where they can see me in action and I can see them in action,” he said. “What you will see is the real truth. This is a great opportunity. I don’t see it as stooping to conquer. But every time you go in a different direction, people say, ‘Oh God, you must be in trouble.’ Just the opposite.”
Another fixed point in his life is his friendship with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sly said Arnold is “very wise” and likes to talk about “philosophies”.
“It’s good to talk to a man who has actually put his money where his mouth is and he has achieved that,” he said. “Then we start fooling around and being crazy — we just laugh at the old times. I told him, ‘We’re the last two Tyrannosaurus.’ We’re the last two meat eaters and there’s not much beef left out there. So we better enjoy each other.”
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