The "idea of unrealised dreams", "wasted potential" and "power of perseverance."
In 1975, Stallone was a struggling actor, with only a few small roles to his name. He had a vision for a film and he poured his heart and soul into writing the screenplay. But when he tried to sell it to producers and studios in Hollywood, he was rejected by every single one.
Eventually a small production company agreed but on one condition. They didn't want Stallone to play Rocky. They were so desperate for Stallone to not play Rocky that they kept offering him increasingly large sums of money to go away.
Stallone didn't take the money for 2 reasons.
1) "I had about $106 in the bank," Stallone said. "But I had managed poverty very well. I really didn't need much to live on."
2) "There was something about the idea of unrealized dreams," Stallone said. "I knew that if I sold it even for $500,000, I knew that after the money was gone, I would have become very bitter if I never realized my dream."
The rest, as they say, is history. "Rocky" went on to become one of the most iconic films of all time, winning three Oscars, including Best Picture.
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Takeaway -
Stallone turned down the huge sum of money because he feared the bitter person he would become if he never went for his dream. In every Rocky related interview, Stallone talks about the "idea of unrealised dreams" and "wasted potential."
Stallone turned down the huge sum of money because he had "establish[ed] business relations with poverty," as the Stoic philosopher Seneca put it.
"The trick is,” Tom Rothman (CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group) says, “to be fiscally responsible so you can be creatively reckless."
In the end, Stallone's journey with "Rocky" is a testament to the power of perseverance and the importance of holding onto our dreams, even when it feels like the world is against us.
Associate Professor - Marketing at IIM Raipur | PhD - IIM Calcutta | Product Management, Innovation, Consumer Behavior, Sustainability, International Mktg. | Emerald Literati Award Winner | Committed Educator, Consultant
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