Stallone, 1993

ON THE SET WITH: Sylvester Stallone; All Right Already, No More Mr. Funny Guy

By BERNARD WEINRAUB

NYT, Published: June 09, 1993

"The down side was, I, Sylvester Stallone, became synonymous with mindless, monosyllabic violence. I was reduced to this prehistoric, bestial caveman. People were taking this fictional character and putting him in realistic situations. It was like defending your religion -- you could never win. And the more I protested, the more foolish I looked."

He continued: "Remember when Reagan bombed Qaddafi? He said, 'After seeing Rambo, I know what to do.' And then Saddam used it in his bunker. He said, 'This is not Rambo.' Can you imagine? It became synonymous with a mindset. I became a . . . symbol. I was always worried when I traveled abroad. There were always a lot of threats. When I went to Cannes they said I'd be dead. When I would go to third world countries, it was not so pretty."

And did it hurt him in Hollywood, which takes its politics and causes so seriously?

"Silently, I think it did," Mr. Stallone said. "I don't think people would vocalize it because 'Rambo' was a commercial idea, but politically I wasn't invited to the more genteel events. I didn't realize how liberal the Hollywood community was. And if you're a Republican you really stand out. And I was a Republican by association. When I went to the White House -- that did it. I had been there under Carter. But when it was under Reagan -- ooohh." He waved an admonishing finger.