Anthony Ippolito Says Playing Sylvester Stallone in I Play Rocky Was “Overwhelming and Daunting”

Anthony Ippolito knew he was taking on an enormous challenge when he accepted the role of Sylvester Stallone in I Play Rocky. Portraying the actor who created one of Hollywood’s most recognizable characters would have been intimidating for any performer. For Ippolito, the pressure became even greater when he had the opportunity to speak directly with Stallone before filming began.

The young actor recently opened up about the experience, describing his conversation with Stallone as both “overwhelming” and “daunting.” Ippolito plays the future Hollywood star in director Peter Farrelly’s upcoming movie, which explores the extraordinary story behind the making of the 1976 classic Rocky.

Rather than retelling the story of Rocky Balboa, I Play Rocky focuses on the man who created him. The film follows Stallone during a period when he was still struggling to establish himself as an actor and writer. His determination to play the lead role in his own screenplay ultimately became one of the most remarkable underdog stories in Hollywood history.

For Ippolito, recreating that chapter of Stallone’s life meant more than simply looking the part.

Anthony Ippolito Had the Chance to Speak With Stallone

Before stepping in front of the cameras, Ippolito was able to speak with Stallone, who remains closely associated with the character of Rocky more than five decades after the original film premiered.

The conversation gave Ippolito an opportunity to hear directly from the man whose experiences he would be portraying. Stallone was not involved as an actor in I Play Rocky, but his perspective offered valuable insight into the difficult period dramatized in the movie.

Ippolito has said that Stallone was generous during their conversation and helped him understand what it was like to pursue a career when opportunities were scarce. The actor’s determination was particularly important to Ippolito because I Play Rocky is ultimately about refusing to abandon a creative vision when other people do not believe in it.

That determination is central to the film’s story.

Stallone famously wrote Rocky while attempting to create an opportunity for himself. When the screenplay attracted interest, potential buyers wanted to separate the script from its writer and cast a more established star as Rocky. Stallone, however, insisted that he play the character himself.

His refusal to compromise eventually changed his career forever.

Preparing to Become Young Sylvester Stallone

Ippolito also faced the physical and vocal demands of portraying Stallone during the early stages of his career.

The actor underwent a significant physical transformation for the role, working to capture the lean, athletic appearance Stallone had during the period when Rocky was being developed. But physical resemblance was only one part of the process.

Stallone’s distinctive voice presented another major challenge.

His deep, slightly slurred delivery became one of his most recognizable characteristics, and Ippolito spent considerable time studying the actor’s speech patterns, mannerisms and interviews. The goal was not simply to imitate Stallone but to understand the person behind the familiar public image.

That distinction is especially important in I Play Rocky, which presents Stallone before he became an international movie star.

The film shows a younger man fighting for recognition, attempting to make a career in an industry that had repeatedly rejected him. That version of Stallone is very different from the larger-than-life action star audiences would eventually know.

A Familiar Challenge for Ippolito

The role also continues a remarkable pattern in Ippolito’s career. The actor previously portrayed another major Hollywood figure in the Paramount+ series The Offer, where he played a young Al Pacino during the making of The Godfather.

Playing Pacino gave Ippolito experience in recreating a legendary actor, but he has acknowledged that portraying Stallone came with its own unique pressure.

The connection between the two roles is difficult to ignore. Both projects examine famous moments in Hollywood history while asking a young performer to step into the shoes of an established screen icon.

With I Play Rocky, however, Ippolito is dealing with a character whose cultural impact extends far beyond a single movie.

Why Rocky Still Matters

Released in 1976, Rocky became an international phenomenon and established Stallone as a major star. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won three, including Best Picture.

Its success also transformed the underdog story into one of the most enduring formulas in popular cinema.

What makes I Play Rocky particularly intriguing is that the real story behind the movie shares many similarities with the fictional story Stallone created. Rocky Balboa is a boxer who receives an unexpected opportunity and refuses to let his circumstances determine his future. Stallone’s own journey followed a surprisingly similar path.

Peter Farrelly, best known for films including Green Book, directs the new movie from a screenplay by Peter Gamble. The cast also includes Stephan James as Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the original Rocky, along with AnnaSophia Robb and other performers portraying key figures from Stallone’s early career.

The project has already attracted attention for Ippolito’s transformation and his resemblance to the young Stallone.

Stallone himself has publicly expressed support for the project, adding another layer of significance to Ippolito’s performance.

For the actor, that approval appears to carry considerable weight. Taking on Stallone is not simply an exercise in impersonation. It means revisiting the moment when an unknown actor refused to surrender his biggest opportunity and turned a personal struggle into a piece of cinematic history.

I Play Rocky is therefore positioned as a story about much more than the birth of a famous sports movie. It is a portrait of persistence, ambition and the willingness to keep fighting when success appears unlikely.

For Ippolito, portraying the man behind that story may be one of the most demanding roles of his career. But if the actor can capture the determination that defined Stallone during those difficult early years, I Play Rocky could offer audiences a fresh perspective on a story they thought they already knew.