What to know
- Director Peter Farrelly’s I Play Rocky tells the true story of how a young Sylvester Stallone fought to bring the 1976 classic Rocky to life.
- The film premiered at TIFF in September, where Farrelly called the screening one of the greatest of his career, praising Toronto’s passionate movie-going audience.
- Toronto-born actor Stephan James, who stars in the film, reflected on honouring the legacy of Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed and helped pave the way for Black leading men in Hollywood.
- Anthony Ippolito says Rocky continues to resonate across generations because audiences connect with its message of perseverance and the underdog spirit. I Play Rocky opens in select theatres Nov. 13 and nationwide across Canada Nov. 20.
A new movie is retelling the story of how a 50-year-old film became an all-time classic, revisiting the story behind one of Hollywood’s biggest underdog talents.
The film I Play Rocky explores the story of a young Sylvester Stallone and details how he brought his hit film Rocky to life. The movie had its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where it received an emotional response from one of its first audiences.
Farrelly told Now Toronto that the screening at TIFF was one of the most memorable experiences of his career.
“That was the greatest screening I’ve ever been at. It felt amazing,” he said. “The two best screenings I’ve ever had are here in Toronto, and it was the Green Book one and this one last night.”
Farrelly added that the response was meaningful because of the kind of audience Toronto attracts.
“You have to have a real movie-going audience,” he explained. “You can’t just have a bunch of doctors. You have to have people who live for movies, and that’s Toronto.”
He added that audiences like Toronto’s are why he directs.
“The feeling you get when you please people who love movies and see them feel that thing all together – that’s why we do it. It’s like being on stage,” Farrelly said.
He added that the excitement of a screening is something filmmakers rarely get to experience.
“I felt like Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin,” Farrelly said. “You feel like you’re part of something, all sharing it together.”
A real-life underdog story
While Rocky follows a fictional boxer fighting for his shot at greatness, Farrelly believes the story behind the film is what makes I Play Rocky intriguing.
“Rocky itself, that story is just one of the great inspirational stories of all time. It started a genre,” he explained. “But more than that, this story about Stallone is, to me, better because it’s real. Rocky’s fictional. This is a real story… and yet it mirrors Rocky in the exact same [way.]”
Farrelly said he believes audiences who watch I Play Rocky may come away with a newfound appreciation for the original film.
“Having seen this, it makes Rocky better. When you go back and watch Rocky and [see] what he was going through when he did that, I think it helps that movie,” he said.
That emotional connection was also evident for Anthony Ippolito, who stars in the production, and whose performance in the project represents a major milestone for his own career.
“There’s a lot of hard work, and I’m feeling an incredible feeling because it resonated with the audience that we saw it with,” Ippolito told Now Toronto. “That was just so amazing because you worked so hard for so long, and a lot of that work is kind of done in the shadows… and then to see it in that way is really something.”
Toronto-born actor and fellow castmate Stephan James added that the hometown screening made the moment even more special.
“Personally, it hits a little different just because I’m a hometown kid, and so I definitely got the chills,” he told Now Toronto. “This is the beginning of a special ride we’re going on together.”
Honouring Carl Weathers’ legacy
Another part of revisiting the Rocky universe comes with recognizing the performers who helped shape its history.
Among them is Carl Weathers, who famously portrayed Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa’s rival-turned-friend.
James said Weathers’ impact extended far beyond his role in the boxing franchise, pointing to his importance as a Black leading man and action star in Hollywood.
“Carl Weathers, just as an artist himself, just being one of the first black leading men of his time, action heroes of his time… that helped pave the way for so many other actors,” he said. “I think about things like that and just how important it was to make sure that I was doing it justice.”
James added that he hopes his work encourages others to pursue their ambitions.
“I only hope to inspire, and I hope that people feel aspirational, much in the same way that this movie makes me feel,” he said.
Why Rocky resonates across generations
Even five decades after the original film debuted, Rocky continues to find new audiences.
For Ippolito, the secret to the film’s longevity comes down to the appeal of Stallone’s underdog story.
“At the centre, for Rocky, it’s this indomitable spirit that everyone kind of has inside of them,” he explained. “Everyone can resonate with being an underdog in some capacity, and I think that’s a big part of it.”
I Play Rocky opens in select theatres on Friday, Nov. 13, and nationwide across Canada on Friday, Nov. 20, a day before the original Rocky was released on Nov. 20, 1976.
