In 1971, the 25-year-old was still an aspiring and not-so-successful actor, working on spare parts. Sylvester received small roles in the theater or TV series, but there was no need to talk about a stable income. Stallone admitted that he only had a decent pair of pants and leaky shoes. Once the personal financial crisis of the actor reached such proportions that he did not have enough for food. And the actor had to sell his dog named Butkus, who was still a puppy at the time, for $40 to fill the fridge with something.
The decision was given to Sly hard – the dog was his most faithful friend in those difficult times.
“He put up with my mood and was the only living being who loved me as I was,” Sylvester later admitted.
But he couldn’t forget his pet. That all changed when Stallone sold the script for Rocky, which was released in 1976 and brought Stallone his long-awaited success. After receiving the fee, the actor immediately rushed to buy the dog back. But the new owner, who realized how expensive Sylvester Butkus is, took an incredible price for him – 15 thousand dollars.
Stallone paid up without hesitation, later admitting that it was “worth every penny”. The movie “Rocky” became a real hit and won three Oscars. And Sly and Butkus were inseparable until the dog’s death in 1981.
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