Sylvester Stallone was hospitalised for four days during the filming of Rocky 4 after taking a punch from co-star Dolph Lundgren, and says he thought he would die – and then included the punch in the movie.
Revealed in a behind-the-scenes Rocky IV documentary, Stallone revealed that he was seriously injured during the iconic fight scene between Rocky and Ivan Drago.
“The first thing we shot [was] my entrance, [Lundgren’s] entrance, and the introductions and then I got really injured during the fight and I had to be flown into intensive care to California from Canada,” revealed Stallone.
“[Lundgren] pulverized me. And I didn’t feel it in the moment but later that night my heart started to swell. My blood pressure went up to 260 and I was going to be talking to angels. Next thing I know I’m on this emergency, low-altitude flight. I’m in intensive care surrounded by nuns and then after that, I had to go back and finish the fight.”
The punch that landed Stallone in hospital ultimately remained in the film. “How could you take that out?” he said. But the Rocky 4 star spent four days in hospital recovering from his injuries before returning to the set to pick up where he left off.
The documentary was released to promote the upcoming extended edition, Rocky IV: Rocky Vs. Drago – The Ultimate Director’s Cut, which is heading to theatres for one night only and will be available on VOD from November 12.
Celebrating the film’s 40th anniversary, Stallone recut Rocky 4 with an additional 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage, eventually retitling the film as Rocky Vs. Drago.
“The fight scenes are more intense, the music is more powerful and the drama is heightened as world heavyweight champion Rocky Balboa (Stallone) must defend his title once again,” reads the official synopsis. “This time against his most formidable opponent: Ivan Drago (Lundgren).”
Rocky 4 was originally released in 1985 and was written and directed by Stallone. Dolph Lundgren starred as the now iconic Russian boxer, Ivan Drago alongside Burt Young, Talia Shire, Carl Weathers, Tony Burton, Brigitte Nielsen, and Michael Pataki.
You can get a glimpse of The Ultimate Director’s Cut in the film’s official trailer.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.