FusWork

Successful screenwriter Sylvester Stallone

Dear aspiring screenwriters, here’s a thought for you – Sylvester Stallone is a more successful screenwriter than you.

When you think of screenwriters – if you do – your mind may drift to names like John Logan, John August, Brian Helgeland, or Tony Gilroy. Would you be surprised to learn that Sylvester Stallone has over 18 movie writing credits, including all the Rambo movies, all the Rocky movies, and – surprisingly – Staying Alive, the sequel to Saturday Night Fever. He’s even directed 8 of those himself. Strip away all the acting and he’s still had a great career as a writer/director. Hell, Rocky even earned him an Academy Award nomination. “Yo, Adrian!”

You should be so lucky as to have a writing career anywhere as good as Stallone.

Maybe you’re thinking he’s a rich famous actor. He has an unfair advantage getting scripts to people. Not in 1975. Not only was he a complete unknown with merely $100 in the bank, but when the producers offered him $350,000 for the script for Rocky he turned them down, demanding that he star in it. Now that’s balls.

Next time you’re complaining about how you can’t find enough time to write, think of this: during Rocky IV (1985), Dolph Lundgren hit Sly so hard he had swelling around the heart and had to stay in intensive care for four days.

Sylvester Stallone. He’s that much better than you.

Deal with it.