Stallone Broke His Neck and Almost Died During The Expendables
Sylvester Stallone has always been a bit of a bad-ass, but he seems to have taken it a bit to far on the set of his latest movie, The Expendables. The new movie has got a strong roster of action-flick alumni, including Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mickey Rourke, and Jason Statham. Apparently they beat the heck out of each other and Stallone has kept quiet about the injuries until now.
In a recent interview with FHM magazine, Stallone revealed that as a result of the intense fight scenes, he sustained a hairline fracture and had to have a plate inserted into his neck. The injuries that could have killed him had he not gone to the hospital.
Sylvester Stallone said, ”Man, it was seven guys, kicking each other’s ass, one guy tougher than the next … no joke, our stunt guys were begging for mercy.”
He went on to describe how he broke his neck…
“Actually, my fight with Stone Cold Steve Austin was so vicious that I ended up getting a hairline fracture in my neck. I’m not joking. I haven’t told anyone this, but I had to have a very serious operation afterwards. I now have a metal plate in my neck.”
His fight scenes with Dolph Lundgren…
“I gave him orders to try to knock me out while the cameras were rolling. At one point, he hit me so hard on the top of the head I felt my spine compress.” “He then hit me with an almighty uppercut. That night my chest and heart started to swell, and I had to be helicopter-ambulanced from my hotel to a nearby emergency room…I was told that Dolph had punched my rib cage into my chest, compressing my heart….If it had swollen any more, I would have died. After that, I was like, ‘Dolph, it’s only a movie, bro…”
Seriously, Sylvester Stallone is 63 and he is still awesome. I do wonder why this didn’t come out earlier? One would think that if he broke his neck, he wouldn’t be able to direct and act in a film. But then again, broken necks are for pansies and Sylvester Stallone is not a pansy.
What do you think?
Source: Guardian
Thursday, January 7, 2010 11:06AM
He should take it easy… I mean, for goodness sakes it's just a movie. We all love Sly Stallone, but he should fess up to the fact that he's not a 20 something anymore. In all seriousness, he should begin to take it easy. This should not be seen as a sign of weakness or "getting old". Sly may not be (physically) that same young star we fell in love with in movies like Rocky and First Blood, but he's still the screen legend we all know and love. As a gifted actor, director and writer he should be very proud of the legacy he's brought to the American film industry. A proud canon of work rife with great stories, brilliant performances and terrific film making. Sure he's got his flops, but who doesn't really? Sly is also not Sir Lawrence Olivier; but like many, many other actors he doesn't have to be. His legacy is one that is unique, credible and all around decent. So for our sakes, for your own sake, for the sake of humanity in general; Mr. Stallone, please rest now and throw in the towel (as far as this sort of thing is concerned). You've done quite enough for queen and country.