(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Sylvester Stallone thought Dolph Lundgren was a “moron” when they first met.
The two action stars appeared alongside each other in 1985 movie Rocky IV, in which Sylvester played boxer Rocky Balboa and Dolph was Captain Ivan Drago. Dolph was originally turned down for the part because of his height, and Sylvester admits he was initially sceptical about whether he was the right choice.
“Contrary to the way he looks he’s actually really smart,” Sylvester said of Dolph. “He’s, like, this beautiful guy, 6ft. 5ins. Viking guy, 29ins waist. I’m like, ‘He’s got to be a moron,’ and then I find out he’s an MIT graduate, he’s done chemical engineering, he’s a full scholar. I’m like, ‘Are you serious? Him?’ Can you imagine him in a lab going, ‘Yes. I will cure this rat of something?’ It’s amazing, look at the transformation. From scientist to savage.”
Sylvester and Dolph have teamed up again for new movie The Expendables, about a team of men who battle to overthrow a dictator in South America. The film also stars Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li and Jason Statham, and was written and directed by Sylvester.
Despite managing to convince some of the biggest names in action movie to star in The Expendables, Sylvester insists stars are no longer an important part of Hollywood. He says storylines are the key to good movies, explaining things have changed from when he started out in the 1970s.
“Stars don’t matter that much, they really don’t. Concept matters. The overall originality or re-interpretation of a really classic situation. With Dolph and I, they put you in a film and they just surround you with guys, they don’t develop characters, but you can’t do that today,” he told Cover Media. “There is a lot at stake today. Where we went from 400 films a year now we’re down to 200, 150, and the ones that make it to studios maybe even less. It’s a science. There is no more, ‘Oh, I got a gut feeling. I’m going to take a chance.’ That’s gone. It’s all science. Every actor is weighed against what he’s going to bring in, it’s like a math project.” (C) Cover Media