We've all felt like the underdog at some stage or another haven't we?
Not just in our acting careers, but probably in other areas of our life too.
We've all sat in the waiting room at a casting weighing up the competition thinking - 'oh they're better looking, so will probably get the part' or 'there's that guy who was in that show that did really well, they'll probably choose him'.
Comparing yourself with others is totally natural, but it can destroy your chances of audition success before you have even gotten through your ident - don't fall into that trap!
I want to tell you probably the GREATEST underdog story that I've ever heard - the story of Sylvester Stallone and Rocky!
There's some controversy over the exact details, with some people even accusing the film studio (United Artists) of fabricating the entire thing - but regardless, it's an amazing tale - and one that I hope can inspire you the next time you get called to a casting!
The Beginning
Sylvester Stallone started out like most of us - acting in school productions where he grew up in suburban Philadelphia.
These productions ignited something inside him and he knew from a very early age that all he wanted to do in life was act.
After graduation, Stallone eventually went on to college. First, he attended the American College in Switzerland where he studied drama.
He then went to the University of Miami, again choosing to focus on the dramatic arts.
He left college before graduation and moved to New York to pursue his acting career.
He auditioned - MULTIPLE TIMES for every casting director in New York with no success.
Sly ended up doing all sorts of non-acting jobs to make ends meet. He cleaned up the lions’ cages at the Central Park Zoo, ushered at a movie theater, and even made an appearance in an adult film called A Party at Kitty and Studs (1970) - not something I would really recommend actors resorting to!
In 1974 he actually got a little break as one of the leads in The Lords of Flatbush.
He also received his first writing credit for additional dialogue on this film.
But despite this minor triumph Stallone struggled to build momentum.
He faced rejection after rejection and he was soon running out of money and facing some pretty dire times - he could barely even feed his family.
To save cash on heating bills Sly would often spend his days keeping warm in New York libraries. He began reading books from writers such as Tolstoy and Edgar Allan Poe.
The inspiration that he got from reading such great works made him focus more on his own writing and in his own words he figured that, 'the only way I would ever prove myself was to create my own role in my own script."
One Night In 1976
On March 24th, 1975, boxer Chuck Wepner was taking on the legendary Muhammad Ali at the Richfield Coliseum outside of Cleveland in Richfield, Ohio.
Wepner was a good boxer, but Muhammad Ali had the reputation of being a sensational boxer.
No one expected the underdog to last more than three rounds.
As such, the longer the fight went on past the opening three rounds, the more shocked people became; Wepner even managed to knock Ali down in the ninth round (although Ali has always maintained that Wepner was standing on his foot when he fell).
This underdog was really fighting for it despite the slim chance he would even get close to winning.
As it turned out Ali indeed pummelled Wepner mercilessly, breaking his nose and opening large gashes above both his eyes.
No matter how hard he was getting beat however, Wepner kept moving forward and continued to fight - he kept coming back for more until the 15th round where Ali scored a TKO.
This inspired Stallone to begin writing based on his inspiration from this fighter.
Sly locked himself away and wrote for over 24 hours straight - completing the entire script for a film titled 'Rocky'.
But Could He Sell It?
Stallone began trying to sell the screenplay to many producers with no luck at all.
Yet again he faced rejection after rejection after rejection.
Finances became desperate... like seriously desperate - until Sly was in such a dire situation that he was forced to sell his dog!
He waited outside a local liquor store asking people if they would like to take the pooch off his hands.
Eventually someone bought the dog for around $50 - he was devastated.
He kept pursuing this story that he had written.
Eventually sly met two producers, Bob Chartoff and Irwin Winkler at an audition.
He told them about Rocky and they asked to see it.
Sly recalls:
"When I brought them the script, they were fairly enthusiastic about it.
"The one the thing they were not enthusiastic about was me playing the part.
"And I really can't blame them - at the time, Ryan O'Neal was a candidate, Burt Reynolds, Jimmy Caan, Robert Redford, and they all were at the top of their game. I could see it, but there was something inside of me that said this opportunity's never going to come around again."
The producers definitely wanted the script, but they wanted the rights to make it and not Stallone as their lead.
This led Stallone to decline an offer of over $100,000 despite his current poverty.
A couple of weeks later they contacted him with an even higher offer and Stallone still insisted that he play Rocky. They once again declined.
The offer kept rising just so he would sell them the film without playing the part.
The price eventually got to around $400,000 and still he declined.
The man was certain that he was actor and that was it, there was no compromise.
Eventually they offered Stallone a measly $35,000 and the lead role.
He accepted.
Woof Justice
So what did Sly do with this money? Okay it wasn't the $400,000 he could have taken, but $35,000 to a broke man is still a fortune.
Sly didn't go out and party, he went straight back to the liquor store to buy back his dog.
He waited 3 days for the guy to come by and finally there he was with his dog.
He offered $150 to buy back the dog, the man declined.
The offer kept rising, but again, Stallone knew his outcome and kept pursuing his goal.
It ended up costing him $15,000 AND A PART IN ROCKY to buy back his dog.
The guy and the dog are in the film!
A Knock Out
Of course we all know what happened with the Rocky movie don't we?
It won the Academy Award for best picture in 1976 and spawned sequel after sequel after sequel.
At the first awards ceremony Sly read out all the rejection slips from those who said the film would be sappy, predictable and something that no one would want to watch.
So there you have it, a story of absolute triumph for a true underdog!
It shows that you have all the resources you need to overcome any obstacle in your career and indeed your life - just AIM HIGH!
True persistence pays off every time in every circumstance.
Persistence will fight off failure faster than skill or luck ever could.
If you don'e believe that, just ask Sly!
If you ever feel a bit down-hearted, just have a listen to Tony Robbins tell Sly's story here:
The post Acting And The Underdog – The Story Of Rocky! appeared first on Act On This - The TV Actors' Network.