Sylvester Stallone’s calling it: ‘I Play Rocky’ star Anthony Ippolito for Oscar

So here’s a scenario you don’t see every Oscar season: Sylvester Stallone sitting down, sizing up a film about his own life, and happily tipping the actor playing him for Academy glory. Yes, Anthony Ippolito is about to step into Stallone’s giant boots in I Play Rocky, and after seeing his performance, Stallone himself seems genuinely bowled over. Maybe he’s just being kind? Doesn’t look like it. Apparently, even his kids were floored by the resemblance.

Stallone Reacts to Himself – Almost Literally

All this came out during a chat Stallone did with sports presenter Pat McAfee. After McAfee pointed out how uncannily Ippolito nails Stallone’s look and sound, he asked the legend for his real verdict. Instead of the usual polite endorsement, Stallone absolutely went for it. Here’s what he told McAfee, describing his initial response to seeing Ippolito’s screen test and later the film itself:

At first, I went in there feeling incredibly skeptical. Usually, they make these movies after you’ve kicked the bucket. When I saw his auto-tape, I thought I was looking at myself. I went to my daughters and said, 'Is this as authentic as it looks? Oh my God!'

He even checked with his daughters to see if Ippolito really sounded like him. To which they replied, in typical brutally honest family fashion: "Unfortunately, yeah."

As for the finished film? Stallone got hold of a rough cut and found himself struck by déjà vu when the dates lined up with his real-life breakout fifty-odd years ago. In his own words:

Damn! This is literally history repeating itself, almost on the same date, fifty-plus years ago in November. It’s so surreal because I think this kid’s [Ippolito] going all the way. I think he might be walking down the aisle on this one. He might be grabbing the trophy because this is not him, he’s a very different character than I am, so this was a real portrayal that he built from the ground up.

Pressed by McAfee to give a thumbs up or thumbs down on the whole thing, Stallone laughed, admitted he enjoyed it, and threw in an enthusiastic thumbs up for good measure.

Absolutely No Involvement – By Choice

Now, before anyone assumes this is another of those glossy, self-approved biopics, Stallone was very clear in the interview: he had nothing to do with the production of I Play Rocky. Not the script, not the direction, not even consulting. He made a point of saying that he deliberately stayed away – didn’t want the project accused of vanity or chasing a fast buck. Interesting side note: the screenwriters didn’t even read Stallone’s own memoir while developing the story, so what’s on film is their own take, not just a greatest hits remix.

I Play Rocky opens in cinemas on 20 November 2026.

• Anthony Ippolito stars as Stallone, directed by Peter Farrelly.
• Stallone had no involvement in making or shaping the film.
• The script is completely original and not based on Stallone’s autobiography.