#54: Going All In

It’s Round 15 of a bruising encounter, Muhammed Ali has been taken the distance by journeyman Chuck Wepner. The night before, the rank outsider had remarked to his wife, "Even if I don't win, I just want to prove I belong there.” 

He didn’t have to worry, he had gone toe-to-toe with Ali and even dropped the champ in the ninth, for only the fourth time in his career. As the buoyant crowd left, one man stood watching the empty ring - his eyes dancing with possibility – he hurried back to his apartment and started typing.

He hammered at the keys in a frenzy and within 3 days the script was finished. He had something, he just knew it - a story of unrealised dreams – a man from the streets - a tale of an underdog grasping that one golden opportunity.

In many ways a metaphor for his own life – struggling for years to make it as an actor, working dead-end jobs and living in poverty with only 100 bucks to his name. Michael ‘Sylvester’ Stallone had created the ultimate underdog – ‘Rocky Balboa’. What’s more he had written the role for himself.

He started to punt the script round Hollywood with no luck, but at the end of another failed audition, he pitched the idea to Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff. They loved the story but had concerns over casting an unknown as the leading man. 

Rumour has it Stallone was offered $100,000s to part with the script and let Robert Redford or James Caan star, but even in his precarious financial state he stuck to his guns and eventually got the go ahead to star in the film with a million dollar budget.

Stallone had his shot, but even in 1975, a million dollars was a tight ask to produce a feature length movie, so he got friends and even his dad involved to play bit parts. They filmed all over Philadelphia, where Sylvester would jump out of the car and start running with the handheld cameraman following close behind. Watch

The soundtrack including production, recording and musician hire was completed by Bill Conti for just $25,000 and included the epic songs ‘Gonna Fly Now’ and ‘Going the Distance’ which have inspired a generation.

The film was amazingly shot in 28 days and came in under budget. It was a massive critical and commercial success and even landed the 1977 Best Picture at the Oscars. From extra roles and poverty to writing and starring in the Best Picture within 2 years, Sylvester Stallone had truly lived the Rocky story. Watch 

WISDOM 💎

“The world meets nobody halfway. When you want something, you gotta take it.”

Sylvester Stallone

Tip 1 - A SMART PLAY ✅

If nothing is happening for you, sometimes you need to create opportunities to make something happen.

Tip 2 - AVOID 🚩

Thinking that there is only one route to success. Persistence is vital, though persistence mixed with resourceful adaptability can be unstoppable.

Tip 3 - ACTION 💪

Have you been hammering at your goals for a while without success? If someone else was standing in your shoes, what might they try? What would the first step be?