Gaining 40 pounds and studying Stallone’s letters: Inside the making of ‘I Play Rocky’

Inside South Philadelphia’s Villa di Roma hangs a poster for I Play Rocky, the new film about the making of Sylvester Stallone’s 1976 classic, which follows an underdog boxer from South Philly who gets an unlikely shot at the world heavyweight title.

More than 50 years ago, Stallone ran past the doors of the family-owned restaurant on his way to the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps in the film’s now-iconic training montage. After climbing the steps, Stallone, as Rocky Balboa, raises his fists toward the city that would embrace him as one of its own.

Rocky made Stallone a Hollywood star, and the fictional boxer he created became one of Philadelphia’s most beloved characters and enduring cultural icons.

Now, when The Inquirer meets Anthony Ippolito, the actor portraying a young Stallone in I Play Rocky, he is sitting inside that same Italian Market restaurant. That poster of Ippolito raising his fists atop the Art Museum steps, a la Stallone, hangs right by him.

On the sunny November afternoon, Ippolito is joined by co-star AnnaSophia Robb, who plays Stallone’s first wife, Sasha Czack, and Oscar-winning director Peter Farrelly.

The lead actor, noticeably fatigued by the media blitz, asks for a cappuccino before sitting down for the interview.

I Play Rocky, opening in select theaters Friday ahead of a wider release Nov. 20, retraces Stallone’s journey from a struggling actor sleeping on the streets of New York City to writing the script for Rocky and fighting to bring his dream movie to the screen.

The cast includes P.J. Byrne as producer Irwin Winkler, Toby Kebbell as the late producer Robert Chartoff, Matt Dillon as Frank Stallone Sr., Jay Duplass as director John Avildsen, Stephan James as Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed, and Kiki Seto as Talia Shire, who played Adrian.

Before reading Peter Gamble’s script, Farrelly, who was born in Phoenixville and grew up in Rhode Island, thought he knew everything about the making of Rocky. He had seen the documentaries and heard the stories that have circulated in Hollywood circles for decades, but the “shocking” parallels between Stallone and Rocky that drew him to the project.

“This is the same story, except I’d argue Stallone has a better or bigger arc than Rocky because when Rocky starts, he at least has a job,” said Farrelly. “He’s breaking bones, but he has a job.”

But Stallone, he said, lived on the street, “selling his dog, and doing soft-core porn.”

“Rocky doesn’t win,” said Farrelly. “He survives.” On the other hand, “Stallone wins Best Picture, and I recognize, like, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’”

Bringing that story to the screen required an actor who could portray both Stallone and Balboa, and his most famous character without slipping into an impersonation or caricature.

After reading an article announcing Farrelly and Emmerich were taking on the project, Ippolito began his campaign.

“I really wanted to try to get my foot in the door for it in some way, but it was hard because at the time I didn’t really have a script or anything like that,” he said. “But I was really passionate about it.”

In his grandmother’s basement on Long Island, Ippolito recorded videos of him reciting lines from Rocky, with a friend’s help, in hopes of grabbing Farrelly’s attention.

The video made its way across Farrelly’s desk, and the director continued to feed Ippolito portions of the script before officially casting him in the role.

Ippolito’s portrayal of Al Pacino in the 2022 biographical mini-series The Offer proved his elasticity as an actor. But Farrelly said it was his Stallone-like approach to the role that convinced him and producer Toby Emmerich that the 27-year-old actor was the ideal choice.

Not long after, Farrelly tapped Robb to play Czack.

“It was a blessing because we had a great script, and it was fully formed,” Farrelly said. “And then I ran into these two actors, who were both unbelievable … Both of them were the first actors I looked at for these roles.”

For Robb, portraying Czack presented a different challenge. Unlike Stallone, Czack has largely remained out of the public eye, leaving Robb with fewer resources to draw from.

She turned to documentaries and The Official Rocky Scrapbook, Stallone’s 1977 book featuring photographs Czack took during the filming of Rocky. Robb also read notes Stallone sent to Emmerich describing Czack as “sunshine” and their marriage as “two rocks leaning against each other.”

“I thought those were really specific and very useful visuals as an actor,” Robb said.

She also took inspiration from her own marriage with entertainment lawyer Trevor Paul to embody the role of Czack.

“I think without [Czack] there wouldn’t be a Rocky. It’s the people in our lives who aren’t necessarily public-facing that are taking you by the hand. They’re encouraging you on your down day,” Robb said.

Ippolito, for his part, amped up his workout routine and changed his diet to gain 40 pounds, a process that required a complete “lifestyle shift,” the actor said.

“Stallone was hugely inspired by Steve Reeves, who played Hercules, so he turned to weightlifting at a really young age,” Ippolito said. “It was a part of who he was, and then who Rocky was. It required a lot, but thankfully I had a lot of time to do it.”

To master Stallone’s voice, Ippolito watched hours of Stallone interviews, he researched the origins of Stallone’s facial paralysis from a birth complication to capture the “depth” of his voice.

“It was a gradual process — the physical part of this,” he said. “None of it was really an overnight thing.”

Robb said she often marveled at Ippolito, as he alternated between playing Stallone and Balboa. “I get goose bumps,” she said. “I think the whole cast looked at each other and thought, ‘Damn.’”

While the production was mostly filmed in Los Angeles and New York City, they also filmed at the Italian Market, Schuylkill River Trail, PMA, and Rocky’s Kensington apartment.

It made Farrelly recognize why the character is such an integral part of the city, even decades after the film’s release.

“You could just feel the energy. The city is such a big character in Rocky,” he said. “We were only here for a few days, but that was the most important part of the shoot. It was just magical.”

The local connection also extends to the music used throughout the film.

The original score by Dave Palmer was recorded and mixed at Northern Liberties’ Undercarriage Recordings with Philly-based musicians Tom Spiker, Daniel Villarreal, and The War on Drugs’ Charlie Hall.

After watching I Play Rocky, Ippolito said he wants Stallone’s story to inspire viewers to follow their dreams, just as Stallone did, and persevere through the obstacles they encounter along the way.

“I don’t think there are as many films that give you that sort of feeling,”he said. “I’m glad that this film has those kinds of elements.”

For Robb, the story also serves as a reminder that even the most celebrated achievements rarely happen alone.

She said there’s often an “individualistic” approach to the American dream, but she hopes audiences recognize the importance of the people who support them along the way.

As long as you cherish those who stick by your side and keep pounding the pavement, “you can go the distance,” she said.

“I Play Rocky” releases in select theaters on Friday, followed by a wider theatrical release on Nov. 20.