Sylvester Stallone on why he didn’t want to write Creed

I’m a fan of Creed lead Jordan and this is exactly the kind of role where he will excel at and (hopefully) build a franchise on.

Up-and-coming actor Michael B. Jordan is powerfully convincing as the up-and-coming boxing progeny of the late great Apollo Creed, and Richmond filmmaker Ryan Coogler (“Fruitvale Station”) delivers an authentic boxing movie, which is saying something.

The film reunites Coogler with his “Fruitvale Station” composer and songwriter Ludwig Goransson, with whom he has a long-standing working relationship.

KW: The Viola Davis question: What’s the biggest difference between who you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?

MBJ: Yeah, Ryan grew so much from Fruitvale. Conlan’s not a likable character so the outcome isn’t almost as satisfying as in “Rocky”. One thing that I loved was that Bianca was hearing-impaired, with progressive hearing loss, which never once is treated as a malady for her character, it just simply is.

And then also, me growing up, I didn’t have somebody that looked like me that I could identify with on-screen as a hero. “And he literally took the pressure off of me to not compete and not compare with anything that he did, you know, 40 years ago but to, you know, have your own legacy…and kind of do your own thing”. This film shows though that if you trust someone else to help you out the barriers in the way of your goals become weaker and may end up breaking away entirely.

KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: Did you feel any responsibility playing the son of such an iconic character? She and I really hit it off. For me, gender doesn’t matter anywhere. It’s still a lot of fun, but the transition from something serious to something silly was complete.

Those final two films felt more like a money grab and turned the Rocky character into caricature. After all, I’d seen all of these things in so many other sports dramas. And it mirrors real life. You’ve got to take care of your parents a little bit more.

The movie’s earned it. Stallone is now 69, and “Creed” wisely doesn’t attempt to get Rocky Balboa back into the boxing gloves. Stallone lost to Network star Peter Finch (in a posthumous victory) in the best actor category and to Network writer Paddy Chayefsky for best original screenplay. He didn’t have all that weight. Rocky Balboa is nearly 70 now. “Is he the guy that beat my dad?” So Johnson quits his job and moves to Philly, determined to track down a retired Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and use him to get in real fighting shape. It was simply time for “Rocky”, written and starring Sylvester Stallone, directed by John Avildsen. Adonis can’t answer, and neither can the film, which vacillates between believing he needs to prove himself as an individual and framing boxing as an inheritable disease. But to me it was important to have the perspective of women. Alvidsen buries Rocky, and the viewers, in these chunks of concrete, steel, meat, and fumes, ultimately creating a world that’s both claustrophobic and familiar. It’s a lifelong fraternity. He volunteered my face on that one. We’re left in Rocky’s world of back alleys, chain link fences, shipping docks, and street crooners. I saw it three times when it came out. I wanted to be treated as a fighter. I didn’t want any special treatment. “I’m now the same age Burgess Meredith was in Rocky – isn’t that weird?” he says. Of course, like in the original “Rocky”, Creed is chosen to fight a champion he is unprepared to fight.

That may be why Warner Bros. didn’t schedule a Los Angeles academy screening for “Creed”, though there is one in NY on Tuesday night. I’m an actor. These guys do this every day. This is their livelihood. “But I’ve had a great time”. I was like, “Yeah, sure”. After he finished his fight scenes, his body quit on him. That second fight, that was intense. We had, like, 13 takes. This is what all the hard work looks like. The only times we actually see Rocky fight an opponent are in the opening five minutes and the closing fifteen. I got chills, man. I was so proud. Within Career Mode, there are numerous story fights, tournaments, and events you can find. Every punch has a line.

In an amusing video, you can watch below via comedy website Funny Or Die, Stapp praises the cinematography in the movie “as painting Philadelphia as a gritty tapestry” with “a flair for contrast high lighting” and he describes the performances as “good”. I have eclectic taste.