Sylvester Stallone recently revealed that during the filming of “Rocky IV,” he received some significant blows from co-star Dolph Lundgren, which resulted in a trip to the hospital. In a documentary about the film’s production available on Stallone’s YouTube account, he shared, “He pulverized me. Although I didn’t notice it at the time, I started to feel discomfort in my chest later that night.”
Stallone described the injury as similar to being thrown against a steering wheel in a car crash. “They thought I was going to be talking to angels when my blood pressure went up to 260,” he said.
He was flown from Canada to the intensive care unit at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California, where he stayed for four days. “I’m in ICU, and the only other people here are nuns,” Stallone recounted. “I was then obligated to return to the arena and finish the battle.”
The hit to the chest delivered by Lundgren, who played the massive Soviet boxer Ivan Drago, is included in the film. “How could you possibly rule that out?” Stallone remarked.
“Rocky IV” continues the popular “Rocky” franchise, starring Stallone as the tenacious fighter Rocky Balboa. In this installment, Rocky, already the world boxing champion, flies to the Soviet Union to face Drago after learning that Drago has killed his friend Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).