During an interview with CBS, Sylvester Stallone got candid about the physical transformations behind his most famous roles and the chemical reality that many of his peers won’t admit to.
Smith brought up the topic directly, noting that Stallone had recently discussed having an eating disorder and using roids. “That just slipped out,” Stallone said, before confirming, “Yeah, that’s true. Yeah.”
The transformation in question was for Rocky III, where Stallone wanted his character to undergo a complete physical and psychological shift.
“I wanted him to develop serious narcissism,” he explained. “I wanted him to like get his scars removed. I wanted him to be a totally different guy, which would be a story point. He became protected and shielded and vain.”
To pull that off on screen, Stallone said, “I had to do a total body metamorphosis. So I went from like 15% body fat to 2.6.”
Asked how he managed that drop, Stallone didn’t dodge it. “I did it literally eating tuna fish and maybe 30 cups of coffee a day and and and you know, of course, some roids.” When the host wanted to confirm if PEDs were used, Stallone’s response was blunt. He said, “Oh, sure. You can’t guys. I know you think these guys are natural but natural, no.”
He then extended that observation beyond himself, suggesting that the physiques audiences see from action stars generally require more than just hard work in the gym.
“In their defense, if you’re trying to play a sort of superhero or a person that is above and beyond the normal guy, a hero or this and that, you can’t.” He compared the process to a temporary transformation rather than a permanent lifestyle.
He stated, “It’s almost like putting on part of a costume. It’s six, eight weeks. You manifest that look and then you shed it.” He added that reversing it isn’t simple either: “Shedding is not easy, you know? It’s like, ‘Wow, that looked that felt good.’ And then you go, ‘Oh, I’m shrinking.'”
Stallone also revealed what finally made him step back from the practice. Asked when he realized he couldn’t continue, he said, “Oh, I think probably had a heart valve replacement.” He called it “a wakeup call,” adding that his wife had noticed changes in him before the medical issue surfaced. Stallone agreed, crediting her intuition: “Women have an extra sense. They really do.”
