For me, the most interesting part of any biography has always been the beginning. Road to succes. Who was, what he went through and what the future "great" did, or at least a "famous" man. One of the most amazing stories I have read is that of an actor known as Sylvester Stallone.. This is definitely not my ideal actor, ale jeżeli ktoś nie miał z górki, that's him.
Sylvester Stallone was born on the 6th of July 1946 year. And just being born into the world was quite an extreme feat for him. If you've ever wondered why his face looks what it looks like… here's why: due to complications in childbirth, it had to be pulled out with metal forceps. The pressure led to a partial paralysis of the face (to this day, he has a motionless right cheek), lower lip curvature and, as a result, speech disorders.
As you can guess, with such a face he became an easy object of teasing and to this day he remembers most of his childhood as a greater or lesser nightmare. The attitude of other children to him may be proved by the fact, that having 15 years was chosen by the students of his high school class as the one, which will most likely end up in the electric chair (kind of prophetic - the Rambo torture scene ...).
This daily struggle for normality brought him one big dream: become an actor and inspire people to overcome their problems. He wanted to pass on to others, that, like him in his life, he learned to overcome his own weaknesses and overcome limitations, yes and they can do it. Swoją decyzję jeszcze w podstawówce i poprzysiągł sobie, that it would lead to it no matter what the difficulties.
However, a young boy with a paralyzed face and a completely incomprehensible diction was not - as you can guess - a dream material for a Hollywood star. Nobody wanted to give him a job. They told him, that he looks like an idiot and mumbles terribly - do something else! He heard over and over again, that he would never become an actor, because no one will give the guy the role, who looks like a mentally retarded person.
Before he landed his first role, he was kicked out more than 1,500 times from various film agent offices in New York City. With some of them more than ten times. They threw him out, and he was coming back. One time he came to the agent's office at four p.m., but this one refused to see him, so he stayed in the waiting room all night. When the agent came to work in the morning, he found him dozing in his chair, then he finally agreed to talk to him. He recognized, that since his appearance is so disgusting, maybe it could be a thug. In his first video, he appeared on 20 seconds - played thug, who gets beaten (the agent considered, that since people hate to look at him, they'll probably like it when they hit him). After this role, he got two more - equally "extensive and ambitious".
He was refused everywhere and expelled from interrogations. During this time, he was almost starving, he couldn't afford to heat his own apartment, and his wife fought him every day, begging him to look for some work. On jednak uparcie odmawiał szukania innego zajęcia – jak powiedział później: "I knew, that if I find a job, I will let myself be seduced and lose my fueling hunger. I knew, that I can continue this fight, keep accepting these refusals and keep on trying, only if gaming is my only choice, only if I burn all the bridges behind me. If I were to find a job, I would fall into my normal work rhythm, I would start to feel relatively happy with my life and let my dream wander off. I wanted to keep this fueling hunger with all my heart. I felt, that this hunger is my only advantage over other actors, in it was my only hope of success. My wife didn't understand it at all. We were arguing so much. It's hard to be surprised, it was freezing cold in the house. "
In the middle of the worst time, one time he went to the library, to keep warm. Out of boredom, he began to read a book left behind by someone - poems and short stories by Edgar Alan Poe. He began reading it and finished the same day. The stories were so different from his life, yet so addictive, that he understood, that he focuses too much on himself, on your difficulties. He began to wonder how he could reach other people. It hit him, that's the way he's looking for a job now, he will never become an actor. He decided to try something different. He decided, that he would become a… writer. Sylvester Stallone a writer ... yes ...
However, he set out to implement his new idea with great energy. He didn't want to completely abandon films, so he started writing scripts. However, neither has been accepted. Finally, after almost a year, when he was completely broke he managed to sell one script too 100$. It was called "Paradise Alley" - this movie was made many years later and Stallone starred in it.
His financial situation was so dire, that he had to pawn his wife's jewelry. He did it without her knowing it, and ... it was a drop, which overfilled the cup. His wife, furious with him, moved out of the apartment. Years later in an interview, he said: "So, I pawned her jewelry ... Well, pawning your wife's jewelry is one of those things, which you should NEVER do!”. His financial situation was so dire, that he was forced to sell his dog! As he recalls, he loved him more than his life, but he could no longer afford his food. He went outside the liquor store and throughout the day he tried to squeeze his best friend behind 50$ store customers. Finally, after many hours, some guy bought a dog from him for $ 25 ... He would say many times later, that it was the worst day of his life.
Two weeks later, he watched Muhammad Ali fight Chuck Wepner. Fight, in which the brick favorites of Ali, he struggled tirelessly for fifteen rounds, little known white boxer, being knocked down by him once in the ninth round and winning at the last minute. Wepner continued the duel despite a broken nose and both browbones cut. This fight inspired Stallone to write the script for Rocky. Immediately after the fight, he sat down to write. He wrote for twenty hours in a row. The script was finished in one day. When he put the last dot, he was shaking with excitement. He knew, that he did something to be proud of.
He went on a pilgrimage after film studies, trying to sell your script. Everywhere they sent him away empty-handed. He heard, that the script is: "Stupid, predictable, obvious." Stallone wrote down everything he heard from them and (!) he read all these insults, accepting an Oscar as the best film a year later.
Finally, when he was starving in the most normal way in the world, he found people, who liked his script. They offered him for him 125.000$. Nice sum for a guy who eats bread and milk! He was delighted, however, he made one request: I'm going to play the lead role. They laughed at him. “You're a screenwriter!" "No, I am an actor. " You are a screenwriter!"" I'm an actor. " Finally they told him you take the money or not. He didn't take them. He was starving, but not accepted 125.000$, because he believed, that he has to play Rocky (which funny producers insisted, for "some star" to play the main role, they meant Brian O'Neill - you know such an actor?). Then they offered him a quarter of a million dollars, but he also refused. Finally, as a final offer they gave him 325.000$ as long as he gave them a script and did NOT play in that movie. He also rejected the offer. Madness.
Finally, after weeks of the fair, agreed to his condition. However, they said: „OK., then you must take the risk too. You play the lead role, but you'll only get $ 35,000. ”Stallone agreed to the offer.
You know the rest. This is the moment, when to hum "Eye of the Tiger". Ah, still as a curiosity. You know what the first thing was, which Stallone did with his newly earned money? He bought a car? He went out to party? Well no. He went to the liquor store, where he sold his dog and stood by the door open to close praying for three days in a row, for a guy to show up, who now had his friend. He ran into it on the third day in the evening. He explained to him, that he is no longer starving and wants his dog back. He offered him 100$. The other, however, disagreed. “It's my dog now!Stallone wanted the dog back at any cost. He proposed 500$. It didn't do anything. Negotiations continued and Stallone finally got his dog back in exchange for ... 15.000$ and a role for that guy in the movie Rocky. Facet, who bought his dog appears in the movie. His dog, too.
The end. For me, this is one of the most amazing stories of human dreams, about stubbornness, determination and crazy passion. Od początku miał definicję własnego sukcesu.
I was brought to my attention, that Stallone had been rich long before that, but that's not true. He didn't make much money before Rocky - the budget of the biggest movie he ever starred in - Death Race’ - was suddenly 300 000 $ - and we are talking about all expenses. Stallone made a penny of it.
Another thing that brought me attention, is what he did at the Oscars. Gala, it's not just about receiving an Oscar - the speeches for the press take place outside of the TV part.
