Sly and the Family Stallone News for the Week

Craig / / 2023, Celebs, Rhinestone, Rocky, Sly (Documentary), Unwaxed

Sly and the Family Stallone News for the Week:

Two Vintage INTERVIEW Interviews with Sly Stallone!

Craig / / 1985, 1994, Celebs, Cliffhanger, FIST, Judge Dredd, Paradise Alley, Poe, Rambo, Rhinestone, Rocky, Rocky 2, Rocky 3, Rocky 4, Rocky 5, The Specialist, Victory

As I was going through the Zablo vault I came across the October 1994 issue of Interview magazine.  The photo header is NOT that cover.  Instead the picture above is of the September 1985 issue of Interview.  Let me explain.

As I was going through the vault, I found my copy of the October ’94 issue.  In it there is a new (for that time) interview with Sly Stallone.  But instead of a new photo, they reprinted the cover of the September ’85 issue. Well, as it turns out, you can read that interview here.  (By the way, I love the cover art of Sly,)

Getting back to the Interview October 1994 issue.  Below is that interview. Click on the photos to see a larger version, Enjoy! – Craig
PS – The thing that really struck me about the interview below is the question about Sly always having a sense of mortality.  Even then Sly new that time was our greatest currency.

Ray-Anthony Height Gets Carter (with an interesting story)

Craig / / 2023, Craig's Sly Art, Get Carter

Today we have Sly Stallone as Jack Carter by Ray-Anthony Height.  It’s my third piece from Ray-Anthony and it has an interesting story.

My buddy, John Higashi was at a convention.  He saw this piece on display at Ray-Anthony’s table.  John told RAH that he had a buddy, Craig Zablo, who collected Stallone sketches.  RAH said that the art was originally for Craig, but that it got lost.  So he refunded Craig the money.  RAH later found the sketch and decided to see if it would sell at the convention.

And it did.

I’ve darkened the piece a bit for display here

“The Expendables” – Empire Magazine June 2010

Craig / / 2010, 2023, Celebs, Expendables

The Expendables make the cover as well as seven page feature story by Chris Hewitt in the June 2010 issue of Empire.  Here are a few highlights…

Sly talking about putting the team together –
“The first one I thought about was Jason.  Then I thought,  ‘Hmm, why not go in a completely different direction, and go with Jet Li? Now it became an international situation. Then I realized I wanted to have a nemesis here, but I didn’t want it to be an indiscriminate choice or an unknown. First I went to Claude Van Damme (sic), then Steven Seagal and  all these action guys.   Either they didn’t see eye-to-eye with me or they had other things on their agenda.”  

According to the article Seagal passed because he had a commitment to Robert Rodriguez’s Machete and his “ludiecrus” tv show Steven Seagal Lawman.  The article goes on to say JCVD publicly passed saying Sly told him he would “make lots of money and no details to his character.”

Sly responded…
“He (JCVD) actually made some comments which were erroneous. I did say the film could be successful and he interpreted it as something else.  I like Claude, but he has his own agenda and I think he started to complicate a rather simple scenario.”

As the cast grew Sly shaped the screenplay to get the most from his new co-stars.

Sly said…
“Everyone one of these fellas had their own film or had their career. They’re all very diverse and distinct personalities.   As these personalities need to be served, it forces me to write for them in a voice that is their voice.  But it constantly changed.  We did about 100 drafts.”

Sly went on to say…

“I’m real happy with it.  Most action films are a one-man show.  This is an eight-man show, and it has a lot of heart.  It’s not about who’s tougher or who’s braver.  I think we got it.”