Sylvester Stallone has consistently risked his life for cinematic greatness, performing his own death-defying stunts throughout his action-star career. The actor recently broke down the two most dangerous moments he ever faced on screen, one involving a near-drowning incident and the other a notorious punch that landed him in the Intensive Care Unit.
The Near-Drowning Horror of Demolition Man
Stallone, 79, revealed that his 1993 sci-fi action flick, Demolition Man , co-starring Wesley Snipes and Sandra Bullock, contained what he considered the two most dangerous stunts of his career, mainly because the set involved operating, practical props .
One scene involving his character, John Spartan, being caught in a “giant claw” during a fight with Snipes’ Simon Phoenix. Stallone explained that the metal claws were controlled by live hydraulics and “really worked,” posing a serious risk of real injury. “The hydraulics will go sideways, and the strength of those metal claws will tear you up,” he recalled.
The second, more terrifying moment involved a round cryo-tub.Stallone was placed inside a container made of “thick plexiglass” that “you couldn’t break with a sledgehammer.” The container was then filled with “warm oil” to simulate the thawing process. The danger was acute: the lid was bolted on , making escape impossible. If the oil reached past his nose and failed to stop within 30 seconds, Stallone faced certain drowning. As a backup, two crew members stood nearby with sledgehammers and hatchets. After the scene was done, Stallone challenged them to break the plexiglass. He recalled, “Of course, they hit it 20 times and couldn’t crack it.” A technical malfunction could have been fatal.
The Punch That Stopped a Heart
More legendary than the Demolition Man close calls is the 1985 punch that defines the intensity of Rocky IV . Stallone, who also directed the film, wanted the final fight against the towering Russian villain Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren , to look absolutely authentic.
To achieve this, Stallone infamously condemned Lundgren to forget the choreography and ” just go out there and try to clock me ” for the first minute of the fight. Lundgren complied with scary efficiency. Stallone later claimed the powerful punch landed by the actor (a former competitive karate expert) hit him so hard it ” almost stopped my heart .”
The injury was severe. Stallone was forced onto a low-altitude plane to the emergency room, where he spent four days in intensive care .Doctors later told him the injury, which involved his heart swelling and banging against his ribcage, was typically only seen in victims of head-on car collisions. Stallone quipped, “I said, ‘Close. I did hit a bus, of sorts.'” The famous punch remains one of the most serious physical risks Stallone has ever taken for a role.