Highlights

• Sylvester Stallone regrets turning down a massive amount of money to star in a Rambo movie.
• Stallone's decision to reject the offer becomes even more painful when considering the success of the Rambo franchis.
• Stallone also expresses regret about the marketing of the Rambo character to kids.

During Sylvester Stallone's time in Hollywood, the famous actor accomplished an incredible amount, even though there were roles he couldn't get. As a result of that success, a documentary about Stallone was produced and Netflix paid to get the Rambo franchise.

Netflix's interest in the Rambo franchise makes perfect sense given how popular the character has been over the years. As it turns out, however, Stallone has serious regrets about some aspects of the Rambo franchise.

How Did Sylvester Stallone Miss Out On A Fortune From Rambo?

In 2022, Sylvester Stallone sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. During the resulting conversation, Stallone was asked what the biggest Hollywood payday he ever got was. Instead of answering that question, Stallone brought up a huge regret he has about the Rambo franchise.

As Stallone quickly explained, he once rejected a huge amount of money. "I turned down 34." Stallone then went on to say that he was offered that massive amount of money to star in a Rambo movie.

"We were doing Rambo III. We thought it was going to be the biggest hit — this was before it came out. And I was paid a fortune for it. Then they go, “We want Rambo IV. Here it is: Pay or play, 34.” I go, “Let’s not jump the gun here …”

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Stallone has a $400 million fortune as of the time of this writing. No matter how rich Stallone may be, it is still easy to understand why it would be painful for him to think about how much money he lost.

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As The Hollywood Reporter's article accurately pointed out, Stallone turned down more money than readers may have thought at first. After all, Stallone rejected $34 million in '80s money, which would be worth a lot more today. "Factoring inflation, $34 million would now be approximately $85 million"

After The Hollywood Reporter said, "And that’s in 1980s dollars", Stallone admitted how much he regrets his decision now. "For real. That’s not a joke. Oh boy, what an idiot. Now I think about that and … wow."

As the interview went on from there, the subject of Rambo was dropped. However, the interviewer went on to ask Stallone about other mistakes he could have made during the heyday of his career.

First off, The Hollywood Reporter asked Stallone if he ever got mixed up in abusing illicit substances. Stallone responded by saying he never fell into that hole, but he admitted that he tried an illegal substance once.

"Amazingly, never. I tried it once and it was no good. I was doing Rocky III and had to get down to a certain weight — too thin, actually. I was drinking 20, 30 cups of coffee a day and eating tuna fish. Somebody goes, ’Try this Dexedrine.” And then I didn’t know where I was — I’m directing on a rocket ship. I’m (imitates grinding his jaw) and my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth. I said, “That’s it.”

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From there, the interviewer asked Stallone about a quote of his from the past. Bringing up that Stallone once said that he "abused power" the interviewer let the actor clarify that he wasn't using that term in the way that a lot of people do today.

"No, no, no, no, no! When I say “I abused power,” it was with my public persona and words. I thought I knew everything, and when I look back on that time it’s deeply mortifying. That’s what I meant."

Sylvester Stallone's Regrets How The Rambo Franchise Was Marketed To Kids

During Sylvester Stallone's career, the wildly successful actor has starred in a slew of sequels. Most notably, Stallone headlined the Rambo, Rocky, and Expendables franchises. Some lesser talked about examples include Stallone's appearances in Guardians of the Galaxy, Escape Plan, and Spy Kids sequels.

Considering how many sequels Stallone has starred in, it shouldn't surprise anyone he has headlined some bad movies. In fact, many of Stallone's Rambo movies have been critically panned, so it would make sense if he wished they were better.

While that may be the case, one thing is for certain. Based on what Stallone has said in the past, there is one mostly forgotten entry in the Rambo franchise that Stallone was against. Unsurprisingly, Stallone wasn't involved in the production of this Rambo project.

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During the mid-'80s, an animated series starring Stallone's famous character called Rambo: The Force of Freedom aired. Canceled after only one season, there were still a staggering 65 episodes of the mostly forgotten show produced.

If it wasn't strange enough that there was a show for kids that focused on John Rambo, it gets weirder than that. At that time, there was a toy line produced that was dedicated to Rambo: The Force of Freedom.

In 1986, Stallone was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune. During that interview, Stallone stated that he was "infuriated" by the Rambo character being marketed to kids. Stallone specifically stated that he tried to stop the toy line from being produced.

'I couldn`t control it. I tried to stop it, but I don`t own the licensing rights," Stallone also said the toys made him so angry that when he was asked to give some of them away to charity, he refused. 'I couldn`t control it. I tried to stop it, but I don`t own the licensing rights,"

During that same interview, Stallone revealed that he also couldn't stop the cartoon. "First of all, that isn`t Rambo, but, more important, they tell me I can`t stop them because it's not me their using; it's a likeness of a character I played and don`t own."

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