Stallone on Life Beyond Fame

Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone shared that becoming a famous actor or writer was never his goal, adding that he was drawn to the artistic world and willing to either succeed spectacularly or fail just as dramatically.

Stallone took to Instagram, where he shared a grainy old picture of himself from his younger days and a photograph of his book cover.

Taking to the caption section, Stallone wrote: “It was never the pursuit of “fame” or money that I was after. I never, ever pictured myself as a famous actor or writer.”

“I just knew there was something in that artistic world that I craved. I would either hit the mark or fail in a very big way; the idea of being a “movie star” never really entered my mind,” he added.

The octogenarian made his screen debut in 1970 with "The Party at Kitty and Stud's". Before becoming a Hollywood icon, Stallone took on a few uncredited roles in films like Downhill Racer and Bananas.

His official launch into mainstream cinema came in 1974 with his starring role in "The Lords of Flatbush". Shortly after, he wrote and starred in the 1976 blockbuster "Rocky", which established him as a global icon.

Regarded as an icon of action cinema, Stallone after Rocky portrayed the PTSD-plagued soldier John Rambo in First Blood, a role he would play across five Rambo films.

From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, Stallone would go on to become one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors, acting in action films such as Cobra, Tango and Cash, Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, and The Specialist. At the height of his career, Stallone was known for his rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

He was then seen in The Expendables film franchise. In 2013, he starred in the successful film Escape Plan and appeared in its sequels. In 2015, he returned to Rocky again with Creed, in which a retired Rocky mentors former rival Apollo Creed's son Adonis Creed.

On the work front, the actor is currently working on the much-anticipated project ‘Frisco King’.