{"id":813634,"date":"2026-10-25T17:22:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T17:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/813634\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T17:22:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T17:22:27","slug":"i-play-rocky-anthony-ippolito-on-becoming-sky-stallone-acting-with-a-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/813634\/","title":{"rendered":"I Play Rocky: Anthony Ippolito on Becoming Sky Stallone, Acting With a Dog"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAnthony Ippolito<\/a> had to do more than nail Sylvester Stallone\u2019s signature voice to play him in \u201cI Play Rocky<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe also had to transform his skinny physique to one with bulging muscles.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt had its moments for sure. I was being tested,\u201d Ippolito told me Saturday at the AFI Fest \u201cI Play Rocky\u201d screening in Los Angeles. \u201cIt\u2019s like a consistency thing, though. I had a great deal of time, so just an entire lifestyle shift and it was just one of the priorities of every day for a pretty long period.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs Ippolito previously told Variety\u2019s Clayton Davis, he spent nearly two years bulking up from about 150 pounds to roughly 180 <\/a>while training at Gleason\u2019s Gym in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat did family and friends think?<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt happened over time, but a couple of people were like, \u2018What\u2019s going on?\u2019\u201d Ippolito recalled. \u201cThey didn\u2019t necessarily know I was doing the prep, and they were like, \u2018What\u2019s going on here?\u2019 I was like, \u2018I\u2019ve been going to the gym, been eating.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI Play Rocky,\u201d directed by Peter Farrelly, follows Stallone\u2019s journey to get \u201cRocky\u201d made in 1976. Now considered one of the greatest films ever made, the odds were way more against Stallone than with him when he first pitched the movie in Hollywood.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnnaSophia Robb plays Stallone\u2019s first wife, Sasha, in \u201cI Play Rocky.\u201d Stephan James portrays Carl Weathers. Rounding out the cast are Kiki Seto, P.J. Byrne, Matt Dillon, Tracy Letts and Jay Duplass.<\/p>\n

\n\tIf jitters on the first day of filming weren\u2019t already enough to contend with, Ippolito\u2019s first scenes were with a dog playing Stallone\u2019s pooch Butkus. Stallone famously sold Butkus for $40 when before he found fame because he couldn\u2019t afford to feed him. After selling the \u201cRocky\u201d script, he bought him back for $15,000.<\/p>\n

Anthony Ippolito describes his first day filming “I Play Rocky”: <\/p>\n

“Irwin Winkler was actually on set day one. We did a lot of stuff with Butkus that day, and I hadn’t met that specific dog until the day prior to shooting, and he didn’t happen to take a liking to me until a\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/7tPKpNnp4M<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Variety (@Variety) October 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI hadn\u2019t met that specific dog until like the day prior to shooting,\u201d Ippolito said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t happen to take a liking to me until a couple of days in. When you give him enough treats, then he started to warm up. But at that point he was, you know, a 140-, 160-pound dog [and] wasn\u2019t a huge fan of me, so it kind of just added to it. He just did whatever he wanted to do, and that was usually not what we were looking for him to do \u2026 In some ways they, they give you the most beautiful stuff. It\u2019s just you gotta be patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI Play Rocky\u201d is in limited release on Nov. 6, followed by going wide on Nov. 20.<\/p>\n

\n\tSee more photos from the \u201cI Play Rocky\u201d screening at AFI Fest below.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAnthony Ippolito and AnnaSophia Robb at the \u201cI Play Rocky\u201d Premiere during the AFI FEST 2026 held at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVariety via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKiki Seto at the \u201cI Play Rocky\u201d Premiere during the AFI FEST 2026 held at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVariety via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tPeter Farrelly and Matt Dillon at the \u201cI Play Rocky\u201d Premiere during the AFI FEST 2026 held at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVariety via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tStephan James at the \u201cI Play Rocky\u201d Premiere during the AFI FEST 2026 held at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVariety via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tP.J. Byrne attends the premiere of \u201cI Play Rocky\u201d during AFI Fest at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 24, 2026 in Hollywood, California. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Images<\/p>\n