Anthony Ippolito’s voice in the trailer for “I Play Rocky” elicits an immediate reaction, capturing not just Sylvester Stallone’s iconic drawl but also the desperate ambition of a young man尚未 recognized by Hollywood—a sentiment Ippolito knows intimately.
When filmmaker Peter Farrelly announced a project about Stallone’s struggle to get “Rocky” made, Ippolito learned that major stars were also pursuing the lead. Dismissed by some as having no chance, he chose to take matters into his own hands. In his grandmother’s basement, a space frozen in the 1970s, he rigged a heavy bag to a wooden beam, donned vintage boxing gloves, and recorded an audition tape without a script or formal invitation.
“I was like, ‘I gotta try something,'” Ippolito said during an episode of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast. “Nobody’s asking for an audition scene at this point. They’re just like, ‘Here’s the script.’ But I was like, ‘OK, I’m gonna audition for this.'”
The strategy worked. The Amazon MGM Studios film, written by Peter Gamble and directed by Farrelly, finished as the first runner-up for the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. It depicts the moment Stallone refused lucrative offers to ensure no one else could play the boxer he wrote.
Ippolito’s path to this leading role began at age three, when neighbors in Texas noticed his unusual talent for baseball. This early fame led to appearances on local news, “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!,” and the hidden-camera series “What Would You Do?” A commercial agent eventually encouraged his mother to build a college fund, marking the start of his entertainment journey. His resume later included roles in “Pixels,” “Grand Army,” and “The Offer,” where he portrayed Al Pacino.
For “I Play Rocky,” Ippolito approached his preparation with near-obsession. He studied every available clip of Stallone, including obscure titles like “Rebel,” which he imported from Japan after a two-month wait. He examined Stallone’s handwritten first draft of “Rocky” in a red Mead notebook and spent nearly two years at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn bulking up from approximately 150 pounds to 180 pounds. He even drank raw eggs once, though he noted, “I learned from that for sure.”
Ippolito also spoke directly with Stallone before production began. The conversation provided context on the industry pressures Stallone faced, information unavailable from footage alone. When asked if Stallone had seen the final cut, Ippolito confirmed that the actor gave the film a positive reaction. “He told me he really loved the film, and he’s really excited for more people to see it,” Ippolito shared.
Beyond the physical transformation, Ippolito uses his experience to comment on the future of acting. With AI-generated performers entering the industry, he argues that actors must embrace humanity. He points to the image of Stallone drafting his screenplay longhand as a symbol of the raw, human stories Hollywood needs more of today, citing the work of John Cassavetes as a benchmark for character-driven cinema.
Ippolito credited Farrelly, the Oscar-winning director of “Green Book,” with giving him significant creative freedom. “He’s such a veteran that a lot of the time I’m just trusting him, and that was a huge luxury for me,” Ippolito said. “For him to take this chance on me in the first place is amazing and incredible.”
Leave a Reply