Sylvester Stallone was left beaten and broken after filming Escape to Victory, with the Hollywood star admitting his time on the set was one of the ‘low points’ of his life
Michael Caine didn’t hesitate to set his American co-star straight on the set of Escape to Victory, a film that proved to be both an eye-opener and physically demanding for Sylvester Stallone. The Hollywood heavyweight admitted he had arrogantly miscalculated the challenge ahead.
His bold demand for his character, a goalkeeper, to score the winning goal was quickly dismissed. Stallone, who had once written off football as a “sissy sport”, changed his perspective after some tough on-set experiences, including a painful encounter with the late football icon Pelé that left him with a broken finger, as reported by the Express.
Escape To Victory features Stallone as a Second World War Allied Prisoner of War who becomes the goalie for a team of captive professional footballers. They concoct an audacious escape plan during a Nazi propaganda match against a German team in Paris.
Meanwhile, Home Alone aficionados have identified a significant ‘plot hole’ in the beloved film 34 years post its debut. Escape to Victory made headlines not just for its compelling plot but also for assembling a fantasy lineup of football greats alongside Tinseltown’s Sylvester Stallone. The cast included luminaries such as Pelé, Bobby Moore, and Osvaldo Ardiles, with Ipswich Town players showcasing their elite skills from one of Europe’s top teams at the time.
However, despite all the fanfare, glory, and talk of rigorous training, it emerged that Stallone wandered onto set without even warming up before tackling the goalkeeping scenes. This casual attitude ended with broken bones – something Stallone has previous experience of, having once encouraged Dolph Lundgren to hit him harder during Rocky IV filming in 1985, which landed him in hospital with medics seriously concerned for his well-being.
Discussing his experience filming Victory, Stallone remembered: “I thought Rocky was tough, but I’ve never trained so hard. I thought soccer was a sissy sport until they kicked the ball into my stomach and I crossed the border into Austria with haematomas on both hips.” His introduction to the football scenes resulted in a broken rib and a dislocated shoulder. To make matters worse, further filming led to a broken finger, and another broken rib, courtesy of a kick from the soccer legend, Pelé.
Sly Stallone shared a tough memory with the BBC, stating: “That was one of the low points of my life. What a butt-kicking I got! I still have a broken finger from trying to block a penalty by Pelé. He put on a pair of World War II shoes, which were steel-tipped, and the ball was like a cannonball – it was twice as thick and heavy as footballs are today… He was telling me he was going to take a shot and I thought ‘It’s soccer, what’s the big deal? It’s easy.’ The ball still flew past me before I could move… He did it again, and it ripped through the back of the net and broke a window in the barracks where we were filming. I went, ‘Are you kidding me? ‘ I found a new kind of respect.”
However, after getting advice from England’s World Cup-winning goalie Gordon Banks, Sly realised the value of sound counsel on set. Though Stallone displayed some diva-like behaviour, insisting on being summoned to the set only when absolutely necessary due to his work on the Rocky III script, resulting in his tardiness that irked co-stars like Michael Caine—who finally laid down the law about timing—Stallone quickly shaped up and maintained punctuality thereafter.
His dedication to the film Victory didn’t wane despite these little stumbles; he even committed to the role enough to get ‘out of shape,’ underscoring his commitment to his craft. Stallone went all in for his role as a prisoner of war, shedding an incredible 40 pounds and stating, “My waist is down from 33 to 29 inches, I run every morning, I’m trying to look a little gaunt.”
He wasn’t swayed by the script or the rumoured $1.8 million paycheque; it was the allure of working with director John Hughes that sealed the deal. “There are some directors you just almost automatically jump at the chance to work with,” Stallone remarked.
In a stark contrast, Huston later admitted he was in it for the cash, while Caine, despite being 47, couldn’t pass up the chance to share the screen with football icon Pelé, which was his primary motivation for signing on. Ardiles, however, didn’t mince words about Caine’s football prowess, bluntly commenting: “Awful, and he couldn’t even run twenty yards.” Reflecting on his rigorous roles, Stallone shared insights into his preparation methods, including boxing with Muhammad Ali for ‘Rocky’ and gearing up for soccer lessons from Pelé.
He mused about what might come next, yearning for something more serene, perhaps “Working in this business, I’ve met some of the champions, and tried to figure out how they do it. Training for ‘Rocky,’ I boxed with Muhammad Ali. Learning how to play soccer…tomorrow morning, I’m gonna get lessons from Pelé. What’s next? I need a little quiet. Maybe chess with Bobby Fischer.”
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