Sylvester Stallone says his loveless childhood in a household he describes as “derelict” fueled his acting/directing success in his new memoir, which is out Tuesday.
Mr. Stallone, 80, recounted the verbal and physical abuse he endured as a child in an interview with USA Today while promoting his autobiography, “The Steps: A Memoir” (William Morrow).
The “Rocky” star said his mother was raised in foster care despite coming from a privileged family. She had no regrets about treating him badly, he said.
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“So I just had to accept that. She had a way of convincing herself that she did the best she could,” Mr. Stallone told USA Today.
Classmates teased him about the partially paralyzed left side of his face, which affected his speech, and he changed his name at school so they wouldn’t call him “Sylvester the Cat,” he said. His father, an avid polo player in Maryland, once threw him off a horse during a match when he was 13, and he did not ride again for 30 years.
When his 1976 breakthrough movie “Rocky,” which he wrote and starred in, earned 10 Oscar nominations, he invited his mother to the awards ceremony. She insisted on bringing a friend, but when told there was only one ticket, she watched on television instead, he said.
“Rocky” won three Oscars, including best picture, and Mr. Stallone was nominated for best actor and best original screenplay.
Mr. Stallone said his parents’ poor treatment motivated him.
“Did they do me a favor by being just who they are?” he said in the interview. “Do I thank you for punching me in the mouth or not?”
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