Sylvester Stallone spoke in his newly released documentary, “Sly,” about the 2012 death of his son, Sage, and what their relationship was like on set of “Rocky V.”
The famous actor rarely shares his feelings on the topic but took time to embrace both his triumphs and failures in the new film, according to People. Stallone admitted his relationship with his son was strained at times, but he takes comfort in knowing they grew close to one another before his untimely death.
Sage died at the age of 36 due to coronary artery disease atherosclerosis, which led to a heart attack, People noted.
“Sly,” directed by Thom Zimny, includes rarely seen footage of Sage playing the character of “Robert,” The son of Rocky Balboa, in “Rocky V.” He was just 14-years-old when he starred opposite his famous father in the movie, per People.
The legendary movie centered around the tense relationship between Rocky and his son, and Stallone admitted it was a script that hit very close to home for him. In the film, Robert expresses frustration over the fact his father spent more time training with boxer Tommy Morrison than with his own family.
Stallone was asked if his real life experiences influenced the script, to which he replied, “Unfortunately, yes,” according to People.
He explained the parallels.
“I try to take something that actually is what I wish I had done in real life, but I wasn’t able to do that in reality. And so quite often I would do it theatrically, magically. … A lot of that is true,” he said, according to People. “Unfortunately, you put things before your family. And the repercussions are quite radical and devastating.”
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During a 1996 interview, Sage noted when Robert was yelling at Rocky in the film, and lashing out at his father for not being there for him throughout his childhood — the scene wasn’t entirely acting.
“When I was screaming: ‘You never spent time with me! You never spent time with my mother!’ that was true. I was looking into my father’s face and really saying that,” Sage told People at the time.
During the same interview, Sage also noted his relationship with Stallone improved tremendously during filming. (RELATED: Sylvester Stallone Reveals The Shocking Reason For His Slurred Speech)
“I got a lot of things out. We broke into tears a few times. After the film, everything changed. We’d do anything for each other,” he told People.
Sage was found dead in his Los Angeles home July 13, 2012.