Random 'Rocky' Series Was More Intense Behind Scenes Than A Swift Punch To Jaw (18 items)

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  (#7) That Training Run In 'Rocky II' Would Have Been More Than 30 Miles

  The training montage is one of the most memorable parts of any Rocky movie. They tend to feature the best songs, and they almost convince viewers to get off the couch themselves.

  The running sequence in Rocky II specifically stands out as one of the greatest. Rocky runs through the streets of Philadelphia, eliciting cheers from onlookers and even inspiring kids to run alongside him.

  Astute journalists noticed that for Rocky to run past all the landmarks in the montage, he would need to jog more than 30 miles. That's right, a single day of training for Rocky apparently means running a marathon with an extra 4 miles thrown in as a cool-down.
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  (#10) Dolph Lundgren And Sly Stallone Really Fought – And Things Ended In The Hospital

  Throughout the series, Sylvester Stallone was hurt several times on set. During the filming of Rocky II, Stallone tore his pec muscles so badly, he needed 160 stitches, but that wasn't even the worst of it.

  The worst damage done to Stallone's body happened during the filming of Rocky IV. Stallone thought it'd be more realistic to have Dolph Lundgren (who played Ivan Drago) actually fight him for 20 seconds or so. Stallone wanted it to feel unhinged, so he told Lundgren he should feel free to punch for real. That's exactly what Lundgren did.

  After the third take or so, Stallone felt a burning in his chest that he ignored - right up until later that night, when he woke up unable to breathe and with his blood pressure spiked to over 200. He was rushed to the emergency room and stayed in intensive care for eight days. According to Stallone:

  What had happened is he struck me so hard in the chest that my heart slammed against my breastbone and began to swell, so the beating became labored, and without medical attention, the heart would've continued to swell until it stopped.
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  (#15) The Production Saved Money By Living On Pizza

  For Sylvester Stallone, Rocky needed to be set in Philadelphia, but producers were worried there wouldn't be enough money in the budget to film on location. They tried convincing Stallone and the crew to film in Los Angeles exclusively, but they weren't having it.

  So during the Philly shoots, they needed to save money however they could. One way they did that was by eating pizza, burgers, or cheesesteaks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They didn't even have a caterer.
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  (#3) Mickey Was Originally Racist, And Apollo Creed Was Meant To Be Jamaican

  When Sylvester Stallone wrote the original script for Rocky, he wanted certain characters to be more vile and less endearing. Perhaps Stallone wished to depict the problems prevalent in society, rather than prioritizing inspirational qualities. Whatever the case, Stallone's first version of Mickey was a petulant racist.

  It's a good thing the studio made Stallone change Mickey into someone more sympathetic because it sure would have undercut Rocky III if Rocky were crying over a dying racist.

  There was also a plan in place to make Apollo Creed Jamaican, which would have added an interesting facet to Creed's character.
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  (#4) Stallone Wanted Queen's 'Another One Bites The Dust,' But Got 'Eye Of The Tiger' Instead

  When editing Rocky III, Sylvester Stallone wanted to use Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" during the intro. It had the feel Stallone wanted, and he liked how the lyrics fit with Rocky's character development. Unfortunately, Queen refused to let him use the song.

  So, scrambling, Stallone reached out to the band Survivor and asked them to write something similar to "Another One Bites the Dust." The lead guitarist plugged in a little amp, watched a snippet of the film, and tried to put chord hits in time with the punches in the scene. Then, he heard one of the characters say, "Hey, Rocky, you're losing the eye of the tiger," and like that, "Eye of the Tiger" was born.
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  (#5) The Producers Offered Free Chicken To Anybody Who Came To The Final Fight

  Rocky's budget wasn't high, so sometimes the film's producers had to get creative. They didn't have money to hire a bunch of extras, so instead they put out an advertisement for a free chicken dinner to anybody willing to be in the crowd during the final fight.

  The gamble worked out. In the end, 4,000 people showed up to get free chicken, watch a fake boxing match, and help create cinematic history.

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