Sylvester Stallone says he has millions of regrets about doing his own stunts throughout his illustrious action movie career. The 79-year-old Tulsa King star recently spoke to Fox News Digital about the severe physical toll of decades spent as a premier action icon on the silver screen.
Reflecting on his injuries, he shared candid details of his medical history. Both shoulders ripped out, eye issues, you know, all kinds of lenses put in... it's been brutal, he explained while discussing the long-term consequences of high-octane fight sequences.
Stallone revealed that he has undergone nine back operations and three neck fusions over the years, with both shoulders severely damaged and artificial lenses permanently implanted in his eyes to maintain his vision. The worst of the physical damage dates back to the production of The Expendables in 2010, an ambitious project which he also directed.
During a violent, high-intensity scene where WWE star Steve Austin tackled him aggressively, he fractured his neck and dislocated both shoulders. The accident left him requiring a metal plate inserted into his neck along with extensive spinal fusions that forever altered his physical capabilities and daily routine.
He has previously stated that after the completion of that specific film, his physical body was never the same again. The stunt work had fundamentally altered his skeletal structure and joint health.
Reflecting on whether he feels any sense of pride regarding his daring and fearless past, Stallone was remarkably blunt and self-effacing in his assessment of those youthful decisions. I think I'm an idiot for doing that, he stated firmly.
Am I proud that I broke myself into pieces? Like, duh, no. There is no glory in permanent physical destruction.
Stallone had a stern and uncompromising warning for younger, up-and-coming actors who might be tempted to follow in his hazardous footsteps on modern movie sets. Don't do it, he warned.
Let the trained professionals handle the dangerous sequences. He added that gravity always wins in the end, noting that when you hit the ground hard repeatedly, the physical toll eventually catches up with you.
He expressed very similar regrets in his published memoir, The Steps, describing the punishing and unforgiving treatment of his physical body as coming at a terrible and lifelong price.