Anthony Ippolito had to go the Distance to Become a Young Sylvester Stallone.
The 27-year-old actor stars as Stallone in the upcoming biopic I Play Rocky, which tells the remarkable story behind the creation of the original Rocky. While Ippolito had the unenviable task of recreating Stallone’s distinctive voice and mannerisms, there was another rather obvious requirement for the role: he needed to look like him.
That meant building the physique and athleticism of the young Stallone who introduced Rocky Balboa to the world 50 years ago.
Ippolito recently revealed that he spent approximately 18 months transforming his body for the film, including more than a year essentially training on his own before receiving help from professional trainers. He reportedly gained around 40 pounds during his transformation while also learning to box…and properly go a round with a side of beef.
Ippolito Spent 18 Months Building His ‘Rocky’ Body
Ippolito told People that the movie was originally scheduled to begin filming roughly six months after he landed the role. He immediately got to work, but production was eventually pushed back, giving him considerably more time to change his physique.
“Your body doesn’t really want to change in that way, but if you do anything long enough and you’re consistent enough about it, you could do it.”
That consistency eventually turned into a year-and-a-half commitment.
Producer Toby Emmerich later connected Ippolito with trainers Grant Roberts and Kirk Myers, who helped guide the final five months of his transformation. Before that, however, Ippolito said it was mostly just him showing up to the gym day after day.
“The first year, a little bit longer than that, was just kind of me alone in the gym day in, day out, just kind of with this obsession.”
In other words, there was no running up the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, and chugging a few raw eggs, and magically emerging with Stallone’s physique after one training montage.
The transformation was especially important considering the period being recreated. Stallone was already impressively muscular and athletic when Rocky arrived in 1976, long before increasingly massive action-star physiques became commonplace in Hollywood.
Ippolito needed enough size to resemble Stallone while still moving like a boxer, making the role as much an athletic transformation as an aesthetic one.
Stallone Gives Ippolito’s Transformation His Seal of Approval
I Play Rocky tells the real-life underdog story that existed before Rocky Balboa ever stepped into the ring.
Stallone was a struggling actor when he wrote Rocky and famously insisted that he play the lead character rather than simply selling the screenplay. The gamble ultimately produced the biggest box-office hit of 1976 and a Best Picture winner, while turning Stallone into one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
The first trailer for I Play Rocky has already generated attention for Ippolito’s resemblance to Stallone and his recreation of several iconic moments from the original film.
Perhaps the most important review, however, came from Stallone himself.
Ippolito revealed that Stallone and his wife, Jennifer Flavin, have watched the finished movie and were “really big fans of it.” Director Peter Farrelly similarly said Stallone loved the film after seeing it.
For Ippolito, getting there required his own version of a Rocky training camp: 18 months in the gym, roughly 40 pounds of added bodyweight, boxing training, and plenty of obsession.
This time, though, the goal wasn’t to become Rocky Balboa.
It was to become the man who created him.
I Play Rocky is scheduled for a limited U.S. theatrical release in November before expanding nationwide on Nov. 20, almost exactly 50 years after the original Rocky hit theaters.
Featured image via YouTube @AmazonMGMStudios
