The director tells EW that Stallone “called right after” watching the film at his house.

Peter Farrelly reveals Sylvester Stallone’s reaction to* I Play Rocky: *‘I was a little nervous’

The director tells EW that Stallone “called right after” watching the film at his house.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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September 13, 2026 6:31 p.m. ET

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Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa in ‘Rocky;’ Anthony Ippolito stars as Sylvester Stallone in ‘I PLAY ROCKY.’. Credit:

Silver Screen Collection/Getty; Claire Folger/ Amazon MGM Studios

- *I Play Rocky* director Peter Farrelly said Sylvester Stallone has seen the film.

- Farrelly told ** he was “a little nervous” to hear Stallone’s reaction to the biopic, which chronicles the actor’s journey to play Rocky Balboa onscreen.

- He said that Stallone “called right after” watching the film at his house.

Ding, ding, ding! Peter Farrelly is sharing Sylvester Stallone’s thoughts on *I Play Rocky**. *

During a visit to **’s studio at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, the director confirmed that Stallone has seen the biopic — which is inspired by the actor’s push to star as his now-legendary character Rocky Balboa — and considers it a total knockout.

“He loved it,” Farrelly said. “I was a little nervous, to be honest, because he was watching it alone at his house. And this movie, if you watch it with a crowd, you feel it, and I didn’t know how he would respond. But he called right after.”

Anthony Ippolito stars as Sylvester Stallone in ‘I Play Rocky’.

Claire Folger/Amazon MGM Studios

The director also explained it was “very easy” to get Stallone’s blessing to create the film courtesy of Peter Gamble’s stellar script.

“It’s a great script, but I knew going in — I told Toby Emmerich, the producer — I said, ‘I want to do this movie, but I’m not doing it unless Stallone signs off on it,’” Farrelly recalled. “So he read it. We sat down and I told him to his face, ‘I’m not doing it unless you love it and want us to do it.’ He said, ‘I want you to do it.’”

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And that was that. “I said, ‘Great. Let’s go,’” the director said. “It was pretty simple. But the script is so darn good. It really is amazing. I knew he was gonna like it.”

*I Play Rocky,* like *Rocky* itself, is an underdog story that follows Stallone from his early acting career through production on his first major film. For the movie, Farrelly tapped Anthony Ippolito to play Stallone/Rocky Balboa, with Stephan James playing the late Carl Weathers/Apollo Creed, and Kiki Seto playing Adrian/Talia Shire.

“Stallone’s story during this period of his life encapsulates the struggle that so many creatives and artists endure,” Ippolito told *EW *earlier this month. “Despite so much adversity, he went on to create something so incredibly impactful to so many. To have an opportunity to explore the process of how he was able to do that is a dream for any actor.”

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In recent months, Stallone has also thrown his weight behind the project on social media. “Every story has a beginning and I’m excited to see this one brought to life,” he wrote in a July Instagram post. “Congratulations to the cast and crew of *I Play Rocky*. Keep punching.”

Sylvester Stallone in ‘Rocky’.

Screen Archives/Getty

Speaking with EW, Ippolito explained that it was “really humbling” to see Stallone voice his support for the project.

“It’s been 50 years since *Rocky* was released so you can’t help but feel nostalgic,” he said. “In a lot of ways, Stallone’s actual underdog story is just as compelling as the one he wrote. Hopefully it allows him to reminisce about some of these pivotal moments in his life.”

*I Play Rocky *hits theaters in November.

- Biopic Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Biopic”