Sylvester Stallone talked candidly about a violent on-set event that sent him to the hospital in a recent documentary about the making of “Rocky IV.” The legendary actor said that Dolph Lundgren, who portrayed the huge Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in the movie, gave him a serious beating.
According to Stallone, the impact was like being flung against a steering wheel following a car crash. He didn’t feel anything unusual at first, but then he began to feel uneasy in his chest. He had no idea this would cause a health scare.
Stallone recalled, “They thought I was going to be talking to angels when my blood pressure shot up to 260.” He was airlifted from Canada to St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California, right away since prompt medical assistance was essential. Stallone spent four days in the intensive care unit with nuns all around him.
Stallone’s tenacity and fortitude drove him to return to the set and finish the movie in spite of this terrifying event. He couldn’t fathom excluding the incident in which Lundgren struck him in the chest. It was a crucial component of the narrative, illustrating the difficulties Rocky Balboa encountered when facing Drago.