Anthony Ippolito on Becoming Sylvester Stallone in ‘I Play Rocky’

No one asked me to to audition for this, so I kind of just read an article that they were making this this film. Peter Farrelly was, and I was a huge fan of his, and I I looked into or heard somehow of Stallone's some of Stallone's struggles. And I was just fascinated. And I was like, man, how do I how do I kind of try to talk to somebody about this cuz I was so so interested in in in the story. And I just kind of took it upon myself to to make make some stuff and kind of make my own audition. And I sent it their way. - [music] - First of all, congratulations on this performance. I must ask now that I'm here talking to you. You know, you're probably having a lot of conversations about this film. You're talking to a lot of people. Have you been running into a lot of people who are like surprised to hear what your voice sounds like like just as Anthony? - Uh-huh. It's happened a couple times. It's happened a couple times, yeah. - Yeah. I love that. I you have been in a lot of origin stories. You I play Rocky, you you were in you played Al Pacino, you we we know a lot of we've seen you on screen in a lot of origin stories, but I'm not sure I know yours. I love asking actors their acting origin stories sort of like when they first felt the pull, you know, and like when you sort of realized that this is what the the the next era of your life was going to be. - Yeah. Um well, I actually kind of got pulled into it at a at a pretty young age. When I was a little kid, I um I played baseball um and some people had uh kind of recognized I was I was pretty oddly good at a young age, and I ended up on like the local news for him I was about 3 years old. And um and then somehow it became like a bigger thing and I went on more things uh like Regis and Kelly and Ripley's Believe It or Not and started doing all of this stuff when I was a a really little kid. And um somehow through that uh I I I think a commercial agent approached one of my parents and uh started you know, doing commercial auditions uh you know, one of my parents thought it was a good you know, way to maybe try to build a college fund or something. And you know, but I didn't get very many of these uh for pretty much most of my my childhood. But yeah, that's how I That's how I got in there. And I yeah. - I'm I'm very curious. I mean, this has nothing to do with acting, but like what does oddly good at baseball look like? - I was throwing like 40 miles an hour at like a 3-year-old and people thought that was pretty abnormal, I guess. Yeah. - I mean, I I've never seen it personally. I've never seen a 3-year-old throw a ball 40 mph. I I I think your your your IMDb page says your your film debut was in a film called Bella, Boy on the Subway. Is that accurate? I'm very curious to know what that experience was like cuz you would have been quite young in that. - Yes, it is. Yes, it is accurate. I was very young. Uh and I'm not even sure how old, honestly. Uh but I do remember that a little bit like little pieces of it, I guess. Um yeah, we were around the subway the whole whole day shooting that. But that was the first first uh movie I did, yeah. - I'm I'm curious, you know, you reading about your experience in I Play Rocky and just listening to you talking and this was clearly something you you attacked very academically. This is something you you you really took from like a couple different angles between the physicality and learning the voice and stuff like that. So I'm I I hear it sounds like you were sort of pulled into the acting world. At what point did you sort of start looking at it as like something like it's it's interesting as a kid actor, you're just doing what is being asked of you. And then at one point before you're like, "Oh, this is something I need to learn and something I can apply like, you know, and - Yeah. - a strategy - Yeah, it's uh probably around around 17. I started uh you know, uh really kind of uh falling in love with it and uh studying and uh really be developing a an intense appreciation uh for acting. - Has there been anything that you know, and has particularly worked for you? Like, I I understand that it's it's it's very uh everybody likes to be asked what their process is. - Oh, uh - It's just like uh do I have a process? But like, have you been building something like that? Or is it really just like, have you been attacking these things one at a time? - A little bit of both, I think. Every I mean, every project's completely different and and right? And uh - [sighs] - yeah, I I do think there's a lot of I you know, put a lot of uh emphasis on on the the script and really using that as uh a guide. And so, starting there. And uh and yeah, I mean, that's that's that's really big. I know that sounds like a just like a one thing answer, but I that it's not. It's uh script uh is is something that you can always go to, especially if it's well-written. In this case, it really was by Peter Gamble. And um you know, so if if it's uh the dialogue is rich and you know, there's there's a lot of stuff to dive into with it. - There's a there's sort of great irony to the fact that you are, you know, this is a conversation we're having about the movie I played Rocky, which is about like this this intense period of Sylvester Stallone's life where, you know, he was just trying to get a break. He was this sort of hungry period of his life. And because of this role you have that is that is getting you such attention, there is that conversation of like, "Oh, this is an overnight success story. You know, this is an actor who came out of nowhere, but I think that that's never true. That's never true for anybody. So, I do want to kind of um just start there and and and ask you about, you know, what your thoughts are and the the idea of overnight success and what that's meant to you as someone who I I imagine went through their own uh hungry period and and and it's is has knows what that's like. - Yeah, I mean, I I I'm sure overnight successes and those stor- I'm sure that exists somewhere. I'm sure it happens or has happened in all these different worlds or career paths. Um especially today. I mean, now it's just very different, I guess, but for me, no, this um I've been like you mentioned, I've been acting since I'm very young and I've been uh I've gone on so many auditions, it's hard to keep count. Uh and I've also been been very fortunate in certain ways. I mean, it's it's um I know a ton of actors who are incredibly talented and um and you know, um further along the line and and a bit older and you know, it's a it's a very difficult uh difficult line of work sometimes, that's for sure. And you know, a lot of people from the outside don't know that because they're seeing the other end of it and the only reason they'll even see something to talk about is if there's a project and it's a a success on some level. And so, uh some people might not know that. - I you mentioned it the the audition process. This is a movie especially in its first sort of first act that is is about um that life and how hard it is. You know, the the auditioning life. So, I want to ask you, you know, just right off the the top, you know, what kind of auditioneer are you? How How do you find auditioning and is how has that evolved in your your time as an actor? - Yeah, uh I said it's it's tricky. It's every audition's different like every process is different. Um every uh project. And I How do I find auditioning? I Woof. When I was younger, I really hated it. I hated it. Um it's it's a weird process, and there's just so much uh um I don't want to use the word rejection. It's it's it's not it you know, it's just there's so many no's, I guess. Uh But and it's difficult. A lot of people find I find it really difficult. You have to develop a thick skin. Um and uh you don't want to take it personally, uh but it's easier said than done. Uh but I I've kind of been doing it for a little while, so you start to uh make friends with the process a little bit. Uh It's um but you know, you just But it's also a part of your job. Like it it kind of is your job in in so many ways as an actor, so you know, um it's an opportunity to to practice your craft and to to to to work in front of people and to present your work, and and that's exciting. And so, you know, staying staying on on the on the positive stuff is probably uh is the best way of going about it. - I think this this If anyone who has seen this movie I will see this movie that it set such a good tone in the with like you said you try not to take it it personally, but there are some that feel very personal. And I think that's that's a it's a feeling that is very strong in this film. It's like eventually you're like, well, this must be something about me that they're not getting. - Yeah. Yeah, but yeah, it's it often times it's not, and so that's but it's it's it's tricky in that in that way. - So, I've seen sev- I I think this is something other people have said. I've seen several different versions of the story of your audition for this film. Um and I kind of want to hear from you cuz it sounds like it was sort of um something you took upon yourself to do, and uh it was kind of unique in the way that you you got on on board the train of this movie, basically. - Yeah. Uh no one asked me to to audition for this. Uh, so I kind of just read an article that they were making this this film. Peter Farrelly was. And uh, I I was a huge fan of his. I and I I looked into or heard somehow of Stallone's some of Stallone's uh, struggles. Uh, and I I was just fascinated. And I was like, man, how do I how do I kind of try to talk to somebody about this cuz I was so uh, so so interested in in in the story. And uh, I just kind of took it upon myself to to make make some stuff that kind of make my own audition. And uh, s- uh, send it their way and thankfully uh, it ended up working out. - It certainly did. I I'm curious what that audition, um, you know, what then became the process because that's it's not something that a lot of people sort of understand because I've I've heard many stories about how you people hear about something is happening and like, I really want to be a part of that. So like, at what point did it become like, I want to be a part of that to like, they're ask they they are finally asking you to actually audition and like, what what that transition was like where it's like, okay, now this is now I'm in the running. Still don't have the role, but like, - It didn't didn't turn into them asking me to audition either. Uh, to be honest. [laughter] - Did they ever ask you to audition as well? - No. Uh, no. Uh, uh, no uh, no sides or anything. Uh, just more so got my hands on more of the script and uh, and then I was really interested cuz I I I just um, Peter Gamble uh, you know, like I said, wrote such a such an incredible script here and uh, so many of the characters are so well written. Anyway, I just was even more invested. And then I just started taping you know, stuff from the script and just continuously sending them stuff until they were either going to tell me to to leave them alone uh, or um, or that they were they were interested in talking more, so thankfully it was uh, it was the latter. - I love that. I I I do love to cuz, you know, we talk a lot about on this show about, you know, the grind of auditioning and like you said, you just said get used to saying no. So I always want to ask about the flip side of that about, you know, what the conversation was like when they offered you the role. You know, like what was the day like you know, where you found out you'd be playing Sylvester Stallone? - [sighs and gasps] - Wow, yeah, it was pretty pretty incredible. I got a call from you know, the director Peter Farrelly. And uh he told me, you know, he wasn't sure about the start date and there was all of this stuff still up in the air about the project uh as a whole and I, you know, apparently it was very difficult to try to get it to the starting line. Mhm. But he told me that uh that that I I had the part and I just uh it was uh incredible moment for me, I'll tell you. That was really cool. - And so like what when what does it feel like for you? What does it look like for you when the work begins? Cuz like I'm always I'm also very curious to hear about the day after the big thing, you know, like so you get this call that you're going to be in this movie once it gets to the the start date, but then you know, you wake up the next day and you're like, "Oh, I I'm going to be in this movie. I have to now do the work." So like, you know, you have the the the lead up, you have the call where you're going to get the role. What does this sort of the next day look like for you where you're like, "Okay, well, train's on the tracks now." - Yeah. - Let's get to work. - For me in this specific situation, the train was already moving. Like my train was moving. So if I found out I didn't get it, I was going to I was going to have to shut shut down the train. But in in this situation - Train's gone now. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, [laughter] yeah. Uh but then so him him uh giving me that call just kind of told me that it was it was happening and uh I continued uh the work that I had put in just to present the the auditions and um you know, kind of stayed on that track uh the entire uh prep process the prep phase. It was just uh you know, a pretty long stretch of time, honestly, where I was just uh starting to, you know, deepen my my research uh of Stallone and my understanding of him and you know, find as much footage uh of his uh of him as I could from the time. I mean, this takes place from 1972 around to 1976. So, it's a little tricky because there wasn't that much footage on him from that period of time. He wasn't a huge star then. So, I you know, I was trying to find as much as I could from that time. - There's this this great line from in the movie PJ Byrne as producer Irwin Winkler in the movie says like, "Excuse him, it's the first time as a number one on the call sheet." I I imagine this is your first time as number one on the call sheet. - Yeah. - Uh and then uh what that means it it means literally what it means, but it also means more than that, you know, it's like you are setting a tone. You're so I'm curious what your experience was like both logistically what it was like to be number one on the call sheet and what it meant to you as like the film is on your shoulders, essentially. - [gasps and sighs] - Yeah, I mean, like we had such a great cast. This was very much an ensemble piece that it's not I I it's is that way, I guess, on the on the call sheet, but it's not I mean, you you go to work every day with all these veterans. I mean, I just felt like I was I I had such an opportunity to learn from these guys cuz, you know, uh actors like Matt Dillon and Tracy Letts uh were showing up every day. They're uh Jay Duplass, PJ Byrne, Toby Kebbell, AnnaSophia Robb, Stephan James. I mean, they've all had so much experience that um yeah, I'm learning from them the whole time and there there is a certain level of okay, I want to maybe try to set a tone if I can uh and just try to keep everybody feeling good. But uh I I everybody kind of really like I said was a veteran in their own right so I didn't feel as much of that pressure. - Absolutely. It What's interesting about that and interesting about this film is that it it really shows like how movies made and it's not shot sequentially. You know, it is not the plan is not the plan very quickly. So I'm curious, you know, when you entered this thing you had done all this prep, you had physically gotten to the shape you needed to be and you had very clearly done a ton of work on the voice which is really impressive people. - Thanks. - What then after all that work was the first thing you shot? You know, like after all the work is done, all the prep work is done, you do do it's time for the director to say action, you have to act. So what was the very first thing you shot for I play Rocky? - Very first thing we shot was uh the scene where Stallone's letting go of Butkus. Um so - So first day is with the dog. - Yeah. Yeah. So that was day one and uh Irwin Winkler uh was on set for that day as well. And so um yeah, it was uh that was day one. That was as as uh important scene. - Absolutely. I'm curious about you know, once you got to the end of the run, you know, and this is just true of anything but here you are playing a real person, you know, whether you felt like you had grown into the role like when you look at that first day and then you look at sort of like when you were wrapped, when when they said that's a wrap on Anthony Balito and you were you were done for the day or done for the project. Do you think you had any more of an understanding of of playing that character than you did at the beginning? - Yeah. Yeah, I mean you're you're learning new things every day and that's not um that's a very real thing. That's not a a joke or an offhand thing. Like that's you you really are like every day, especially with this shoot, it's testing you in certain ways that, you know, you can prepare all you want and I did. There's a lot of preparation. It's just when you're on set doing some of these things um it and it was also a very physical shoot and in that way um it it tested me and yeah, you come out on the other end. You definitely feel changed a little bit. - I'm curious if there's something specific that comes to mind that you'll carry. Like that that that you're sort of like you did not know or not not that you didn't know it, but it was something that that that will stick with you into whatever project that that comes next down the road where you're like this comes from I play Rocky. The work leading up to it um was very was done, you know, by my you know, pretty much on my own and then you show up and then there's this it's this big set and there's a a huge crew and a lot of incredible people um but it's a lot of chaos and I think um over the course of the shoot it was kind of really learning to um take take that in and acknowledge it, but also have a have a relationship to it where it's not impeding on your process and on your work where it's you know, it can it can serve you in a way, but it can also be a hindrance if you, you know, can't interact with with it the right way and so that that was definitely an interesting important part of this. - I'm I'm curious about, you know, I'm always curious to talk to anyone who's playing an actor and like actively acting as them in the project. You know, that we are we are watching you play Sylvester Stallone play Rocky basically. Um in those moments I'm curious about what you've obviously done all this work seeing how he acts, watching Rocky, seeing what it looks like the finished product. We know what it looks like on screen, but you still have to have your instincts as an actor. So, I'm curious whether there was ever any overlap or discussion about, you know, where your instincts as an actor would have worked for something versus like how he did it. You know, you sort of have to do it as he did it, not as you. Does that make sense? - Yeah, like any time you know, that's how I would say the line, but it's not how he said the line. - Sure. Well, that's yeah. I mean, it's trying not to get overly technical about it. I mean, there that's that's I guess a part one of the traps with something like this is is under is trying not to get into the little pieces of oh, how does he pick something up or it's like it's there's this is an interpretation. The whole story is um you know, a a 2-hour version of uh incredible events that unfolded for this man 50 years ago. And so, yeah, there's a certain uh creative there are certain creative liberties that you have to be willing to take just for the sake of bridging the gap. Um yeah. - Was there um you know, any particular word or phrase that helped you get into the voice? And was there any word or phrase that was particularly hard to say that not as you as Sylvester Stallone? - Um [sighs] there wasn't really a word or phrase. I think it was trying to understand the the origin of it um was really informative. I mean, understanding that the the source of the facial paralysis from the birth accident is that happened to him. That kind of is uh it presents you with like a a real reason as to why um this came his voice became so so singular and so unique and was and and also informs, you know, a lot of things that he was able have to endure cuz he his whole childhood was affected by that. And so, you know, learning things about him uh was was just as as helpful. - I I'm curious because this is very I want to say very relatable moment in this film where he he once the the production is done and and Rocky is in theaters, he he he finds that he cannot bring himself to sit directly at the beginning of the movie. He cannot watch what's on screen. I'm always curious to ask actors whether you're a a watcher of your own work, someone who can can handle sitting there and watching themselves on screen. - I don't know. I guess I I'm a huge fan of Peter Farrelly as a filmmaker. I've said that. And so, to I look at it like I'm getting to experience, you know, his his work and everybody else's work in the movie. Um you know, relationship to watching my own stuff, I'm not sure, but I I really got a kick out of out of seeing a lot of the other actors who have become great friends of mine now in in this cast do their thing. And that's I mean it it's it's really it's really been fun watching them. - Yeah, you get you're watching a Peter Farrelly movie. You're not watching yours It's It's It's you kind of have to be like, "That's not me." - [laughter] - Fair. That's I'm watching a film. - Yeah, right right. And he did such a great job on this. And I just yeah, it's very fun to watch in a theater. - And I'm curious, you know, throughout this process, so much of this movie is about the the the leap of faith of creating stuff. For yourself is the only way that that Rocky is going to get made. It's the whole It's the title of the film. It was he had to make this for himself. Whether living this experience has has given you any pull towards making stuff for yourself, writing, you know, sort of creating in that in that sense. - I I wouldn't take it off the table. Uh I I think it's definitely really incredible what he was able to do. And I think some of the best films have been made in this sort of fashion where you kind of take out the middleman. And you're really able he's able to see his his vision through all the way to the end to the by the time it's on screen. So I wouldn't I wouldn't take it off the table but also I just think it's great that he wrote it longhand, you know, with a big pen and to see I think film's about a lot of things but it's also I think a love letter to the creative process in that way. - I'm I'm I'm curious. I I think I've seen you talk about this a little bit but as you know, as someone who's going to be discussing this movie a lot, you know, it's it's something that audiences despite what does well, what doesn't do well, what people want to see, they're always interested in stories about how things get made. They're interested in stories about actors, about movies, about like you said about the sort of personal touch to filmmaking. And I'm I'm curious as someone who's both in the film, has seen the film, has did a deep dive into this period of Sylvester Stallone's life, what you think the interest is in like that kind of story in in the in the in the stories about people who who put their heart and soul into something as opposed to like, you know, the spectacle of it. - Well, I think it's just like a really human story at its core. I think there's something very universal about the underdog story. I mean Rocky I think blazed a trail for all of these other underdog films to kind of come after it. And I think in this specific film you see um a different angle or you know, the you know, behind behind that story, the man writing it uh and all of the parallels uh but I think that there's something really intriguing about it because he's such a unique guy and had encountered so much adversity and I think that's part of why the underdog story is so relatable. I think all of you know, all of us in some way, shape or form have some relationship to that type of story and some personal connection to the idea of the underdog. And I think that's maybe why it's still being talked about 50 years later. - Is there Is there a through line of this film about how actors must and often do lie about being able to do something whether they can or not because you're asked to do something you're like yeah sure I can do that. Is that something you've experienced in your career you know sort of just like being like I'm down I'm down I can do that and then you sort of have to learn to do that. - Uh not as much honestly. I mean in some instances sure like I've heard people say all sorts of crazy stuff like you can juggle you can horseback ride you know whatever it takes but I've always thought how how do you do this like if you if you say that and then you and then you have to shoot in like a month. If you can't do it you're actually in you know what happens. So I in some - You're on camera proving you can't do it yeah. - And so but in certain instances if if it's a white lie to to get in the door or it's a close something you know that's different but uh but yeah I'm I'm typically pretty careful about about it. Yeah. - You don't You don't recommend lying but - Who Who would recommend - maybe could make up - Yeah yeah. - Exactly. Right. You recommend stretching the truth if if needed. - Sure I'll take it. - necessary - here and there - Yeah. Um - Speaking to you about this you know and reading all the things you did you know the finding of the of the earlier footage of of Sylvester Stallone and then just seeing what it was like and and and you know all the research you did and all the work you did and the physicality work you did as well. Reminds me of you know when we had Austin Butler here to talk about Elvis you know he he very much it was a similar conversation of how he got into that role and the interesting thing about that was the sort of like afterwards period that that the coming down period. I'm I'm I'm curious about what it was like for you where you know you found that suddenly you did not need to think about Sylvester Stallone on a daily basis and not to that level. You know, like what what was the process like of of coming down from this role where you're playing a real person and now you're suddenly the rest of after wrap, you're back to just being yourself. - Um honestly, it was uh it was it was pretty nice. I By that point, I was pretty pretty tired. I was We had done a lot of stuff. It was a quick shoot. There was a lot of prep up until the shoot, but the shoot itself they shot Rocky in 28 days. This one shot in about 34. And so and we were moving fast and every day was uh was a challenge in in one way or another. And so by the time we got to the end, of course, there was a certain level of like sadness and like definitely a grieving type of grieving process, but it was and I also was going to miss the cast and the crew. Like I mean, we really got close. Um but I was I was also very spent. I was I was kind I was able to take a take a breath afterwards, yeah. - I'm I'm curious, you know, now that you've done this um as I mentioned you also you you played Al Pacino in the past. These are not the only roles you've done, but they're they're they took a lot from you as you're saying. I'm curious what you've learned in your process for playing real people that you find will be or has been helpful in playing a fictional character going forward. You know, like what what is it about how you prep to play a real person that you're like, well, that also is will be very helpful you know, going down the line playing a fictional character. - Yeah, I mean, the approach it is is is somewhat similar in that like I said, you're taking certain creative liberties. So - [sighs and gasps] - Um you you are actively imagining uh so much of it. And um in that respect, it's really not very different. Um, so, yeah. And I And I like I said, and you're also showing up on the day and uh seeing what these other actors are bringing to the table. And that never That doesn't change. Um, and working on the work on the script, you know, all that stuff is is pretty uh pretty consistent all the way through in the process of this. But uh But yeah, there are some differences, but I I just feel like I've been learning a lot, just being able to work with the these uh with with Peter Farrelly as a filmmaker. And uh you know, the a lot of the the directors who worked on The Offer were incredible. Dexter Fletcher um worked on that as well. And so, I've had the incredible privilege of learning from from those from those filmmakers as well. - You You've mentioned Peter Farrelly a couple times now. I I'm always curious, you know, to to to hear both How do you like to be directed? You know, what is your preferred sort of uh uh uh back and forth with a director and what helps you the most? And you know, what you found surprising about working with someone who has been directing for that long. Is there anything in particular, any piece of direction that he gave that really would would illuminate what it's like to work with Peter Farrelly? Uh yeah, I mean, how I like to be directed? I I don't know. I think every director brings something different and has a different style. And um, I like I like that. I like it to be different. Uh And um, I think with Peter some of the really interesting stuff with him is he he has such Well, his work there's so much heart in so many of his films, but he's got he he understands, you know, comedy so well. And Rocky, I mean, a lot of people might not remember or notice, but like Rocky's got a lot of a lot of comedy in it. Uh even through the entire franchise, there's a lot of funny beats. And uh it really does round out the the film and uh it it contributes to that heart and he's so keen to catch all these sorts of moments that pop up that aren't necessarily on the page and he'll he'll find them just uh each day or you know in one of the performances of the actors bringing something and he sees he sees something he's just he's got a got a lot of ideas. - I love that. As we you know sort of come to the end of the the time here I I I I'm always very aware of how uh not unpleasant but nobody likes to talk about themselves for for for that long. So I do like to end by sort of asking you know whether there's another performance you've seen recently whether it's a newer film older film that that set a set a tone for you set a bar you know something a a performance you've seen recently that that affected you both as an actor and just someone who loves watching movies. - Oh man - [sighs] - I saw Ed Norton in the invite recently I thought that was terrific. I thought he was just great in it you know but yeah I mean there's so much stuff being made right now that I'm excited about so. - I love that. Well we're very excited about that and of course I play Rocky it is it is something I believe people are going to be talking about for the rest of this year and and we'll be you know we'll we'll we'll be talking to you again down the road but for now this was lovely thank you so much. - Oh well thank you for your time man. - [music]