Sylvester Stallone has said he will 'never come to terms' with his parents choosing not to attend the Academy Awards on the night he won for Rocky, despite the film marking a defining moment in his career.
Speaking on CBS Mornings, the 79-year-old actor reflected on the emotional contradiction of achieving extraordinary success while feeling deeply unsupported at home.
Rocky, which Stallone wrote and starred in before the age of 30, went on to become the highest-grossing film of 1976 and earned three Academy Awards.
Stallone recalled how studios initially wanted to buy the Rocky script without him attached as the lead, offering sums that steadily increased as interest grew. Despite being financially desperate at the time, he refused to sell.
'I couldn't do it,' he said, explaining that the decision ultimately changed his life. However, the triumph that followed came with unresolved pain. 'You want people that you love that denied you... and they don't want to go,' Stallone said of his parents skipping the Oscars ceremony.
The actor has previously spoken candidly about his difficult upbringing, including emotional neglect and instability at home, themes explored in his 2023 Netflix documentary Sly.
Stallone compared children to 'soft clay,' shaped permanently by their parents' actions, admitting the impact still lingers.
While Rocky cemented his place in Hollywood history, Stallone's reflections reveal that professional success does not always heal personal wounds - a lesson, he suggests, parents should take seriously.
