Patrick Stoner: So, a kinder, gentler you, eh?Sylvester Stallone: Yeah, well, it was time for something different, you know. Hey, I'm getting old.
Stoner: We're the same age, so I know what you're saying, but I see no sign of it yet in you. You're hiding it well.
Stallone: Ah, you're just being kind in the face of my decreptitude. No, I just thought it was time to play someone who wasn't trying to be in charge all the time -- someone who knew what he was doing but had been humbled by life experiences -- not a superhero. It's time for me to start playing people closer to reality, without lo sing my audience.
Stoner: What's motivating the difference, besides age?
Stallone: My personal life -- family problems, health problems. You know about them. I won't bore you with them. But you know what happens when you get famous and wealthy? You get cut off from reality. There are always people standing between you and reality -- taking care of things for you, moving problems out of your way, making sure you're comfortable and happy and feel safe. Then, you have some tragedy in your family, and you realize that no amount of fame or wealth can protect you from the same dangers that everyone else faces. THAT's a reality check. Big-time.
Stoner: It must make you think back to the beginning, just before the fame, in South Philly making ROCKY.
Stallone: I'll tell you, that was a time. You know that run through the streets of South Philly? It wasn't planned. We didn't have any money or any pull. I just jumped off of the back of a truck and started running, past stores and street people, everything -- nothing planned. Everything you see -- the smiles, the waves, the greet ings, the warmth -- it was all real. South Philly made me. I love the people there. I always will ... 'til the day I die.
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