So, Sylvester Stallone won a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for Creed earlier tonight.
Yay! Rocky! Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!
But he forgot to thank the film’s director and co-writer (Ryan Coogler) or the film’s actual star, Michael B. Jordan.
Boo!! Screw that ungrateful sonofa…
Except, hold on, he tried to make it right, but it didn’t make it on air. Right after he thanked his imaginary friend Rocky (it’s not as weird as it sounds…actually, it kind of was), the telecast threw to a commercial, but you could see Stallone actually stepping back to the microphone to say one last thing. So, as the NBC announcer hyped up the presenters we’d see after the commercial the actual crowd on hand heard Stallone thanking Coogler, saying, “You did it all, I just hung on for dear life.”
Not everyone knows that, though, and as such at the time of this writing social media has not been kind to Stallone. However, let’s not forget that in the past Stallone has been quick to admit that Creed would not exist if not for Coogler:
This is what Stallone told Deadline about Coogler:
DEADLINE: You have always been a hands on filmmaker, and Rocky is your greatest creation. Ryan Coogler hadn’t shot a frame of Fruitvale Station when he first asked you not only to entrust him with your franchise, but also to give Rocky Balboa a potentially fatally disease. How did this unproven filmmaker win your trust, and how long did that take?
STALLONE: It took him about two years to convince me. I had been very, very grateful the way last chapter of Rocky Balboa wrapped up his story in a satisfactory way for the audience. When Rocky waves goodbye, that was a goodbye to the audience and a thank you. I just thought, “Finally,” and thought it was a wonderful send-off. Rocky stayed dormant for six or seven years, and then this fellow comes in, and says, “Oh, can we dig him up?” I go, “No, no, no, no.” Then he proceeded to tell me this story. My first reaction was it was disconcerting. It shows Rocky outside the ring, fighting the fight that he really can’t win. It’s a fight against the greatest opponent in the world; life. I said, “No, kid, I think we’re tampering with something here we should leave alone.”DEADLINE: What happened?
STALLONE: So he goes away and does Fruitvale Station. Wins all these awards, and he’s offered multiple job opportunities and he keeps coming back to Creed. I see this and say, this fellow here obviously is functioning on a different kind of energy. It is heartfelt, not monetary, not ego. It’s as though he has to finish a mission, which was a love letter to his father who had been very, very ill and that stimulated the idea. There was just something about this kid, who was very, very physical in his manner, but sensitive and emotional. It kind of reminded me…of me, truth be told. So I finally said, “You know what? Someone took a chance on me, once. I’m just going to throw caution to the wind and let him run with it.”
Source: Deadline
