Sylvester Stallone has revealed that having a good body shape has been beneficial, and that it has had serious consequences. It is expected that on September 29, 2026, he will release a book about his life,聽
While many people see those with a muscular body as having a healthy and flawless body, Sylvester Stallone, considered a symbol of the popular movie star, has revealed a hidden side to his life. The physical beauty that made him famous in the movie Rocky cost him his life.
聽American actor Sylvester Stallone has revealed that the pressure to maintain a healthy body shape that came with his film roles once affected his health, to the point that he suffered from bulimia, a disorder that is often accompanied by binge eating and excessive exercise.
Stallone revisited this in an interview with The New York Times, published on September 26, 2026. He said that in the 1980s, when he starred in popular films including Rocky III in 1982, he was very focused on achieving the muscular body shape that he felt was appropriate for the character he was playing.
"It became a constant in my mind, to the point where it had a serious impact on me. It even led to bulimia. I was down to 2.6% body fat, I couldn't keep food down," she said.
Stallone said that at the time he wanted to appear as a strong actor who could perform intense exercises and stunts in the film. He felt that his body was his armor, saying, "It was my armor."
聽This struggle to achieve the look she wanted became a burden, rather than an aid to her career. She said she became a slave to the mirror, where she looked at her image every day and felt like she was not good enough.
The actress also admitted to using muscle-enhancing drugs known as steroids. She admits that using them has affected her health, saying that the pressure to always have a certain body shape has been with her for a long time. "Nobody does it without additives," she said.
He explained that he began to feel comfortable with this pressure when he starred in Cop Land, a film released in 1997. In it, he was given roles that did not require him to appear as the tough-guy hero people were used to from Rocky and his other films. He played a burly Sheriff, which was refreshing.
Stallone, now 80, has said that his physical problems have led to multiple surgeries. Looking back, he realizes there are things he would have done differently, including reducing the pressure he put on himself and not doing some of the potentially traumatic scenes in the film.
聽He said that so far he has had 9 back surgeries, 2 shoulder surgeries, and many more because of doing stunts himself. He said "I've abused my body".
Sylvester Stallone's biography:聽
聽Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone was born on July 6, 1946, in Hell's Kitchen, New York. He was born with a facial deformity caused by a birth defect, which causes his speech to be distorted.
聽He became world famous in 1976 when he wrote the script for Rocky in just 3 days on paper, but actors refused to buy it and gave him the lead role. The film won the Oscar for Best Picture, earning him a million dollars.
He then made Rambo: First Blood (1982), a sequel that depicted the Vietnam War and the suffering of soldiers. Both films - Rocky and Rambo - made him a symbol of American heroism in the 1980s, and he became a friend of President Ronald Reagan.
聽In recent years, he has continued to work on The Expendables (2010-2023), Creed I & II (2015, 2018) in which he trained Apollo Creed's son, and the Tulsa King series for Paramount. He is currently preparing to release his book The Steps on September 29, 2026, in which he talks all about his life, the gang, and the death of his son Sage in 2012.
