Sylvester Stallone © Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney/AFP
Rendez-vous with Sylvester Stallone
During Cannes 2019, four Rendez-vous with artists will take place in the Buñuel Theater, replacing the former Cinema Lesson. Four masterclasses with directors, actresses and actors invited to talk about their work and their careers, during Rendez-vous open to all festival-goers.
In this year's program: Zhang Ziyi, Sylvester Stallone, Nicolas Winding Refn and Alain Delon.
SYLVESTER STALLONE
A conversation hosted by Didier Allouch (Journalist, correspondent of the Festival de Cannes in Los Angeles).
Sylvester Stallone gave us a beautiful surprise when he chose to return to Cannes to announce the fall release of Rambo V: Last Blood. He will present the first images of the film on stage on Friday, May 24 at 10:30PM, before the screening of a restored 4K print of Rambo: First Blood. With Rocky, he was sent into the universe of the legends of cinema. An actor but also a screenwriter and director – his first film was Paradise Alley in 1978 – Sylvester Stallone will give a second gift to festival-goers with this meeting that will allow him to explore his rich career which has been long, full of cult films and lesser known works, proving that he is an artist who doesn't always correspond to his own image.
On his success:
In the beginning, I didn’t think I’d succeed. I was a nobody; I was just a simple parking valet. Our lives can change in an instant: all it takes is just one good idea! My physique wasn’t perfect, and my face is partially paralyzed. When I tried to get jobs, nobody could understand what I was saying. I’ve always remained an optimist. If I was able to do it, anyone can.
On the success of Rocky:
On paper, Rocky was a big failure. We shot the film in 25 days on a small budget. What it owes its success to is this story of a man who fought to get to the top. He fails once, perseveres, and succeeds the second time. Rocky is an optimistic film. It’s symbolic. A lot of people can identify with this character. That’s the power of cinema! Even today, there are “Rockys” and “Rockyettes” all over the world.
On the political message of Rambo:
I’m practically a political atheist. I had never even voted before making the film. I did some research on all the suicides by veterans who had been destroyed by the Vietnam War. The story was interesting. The film wasn’t supposed to send a political message, but it did. Ronald Reagan even said, “I saw Rambo, and he’s a republican!” I was really surprised.
“A lot of people can identify with this character. That’s the power of cinema!”
On getting old:
Rocky Balboa shows the way in which one accepts getting old. That was also the idea behind The Expendables: we got all our childhood heroes together in one film. Of course they had aged, but all together, they were strong! When you get old, you shouldn’t pretend otherwise or try to hide the changes; you have to accept it and move on.
On Creed and the return of Rocky:
All those who told me I was finished were wrong. In the beginning, when Ryan Coogler proposed the idea, I didn’t want to do it. But he was so passionate about it that I accepted. And it’s worked twice.
On inspiration:
It’s non-stop. There are so many things, people, and stories around us that you can never lack inspiration.
On tenacity:
There’s something in human nature that makes us tough. We have to fight, and we don’t accept defeat easily. Failure makes us smarter. We’re able to accept our weaknesses and transform them into strengths.
On his artistic legacy:
I don’t necessary think about the legacy that my career will leave behind. I don’t think that you can plan that. One thing is for sure though; you always have to keep fighting.
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