The fictional events of “Rocky IV” nearly repeated themselves on the set of “The Expendables” and action icons Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren traded blows. Swedish actor Lundgren revealed this on the show “In Depth With Graham Bensinger”. The reason for this was director Sylvester Stallone’s harsh treatment of his co-stars.
Speaking about the set issues and his working relationship with Sylvester Stallone, who directs the Swedish action star for the second time after Rocky IV in The Expendables, Dolph Lundgren said:
“We’ve had good times and bad, like family, so to speak. […] He was really tough on me in a scene on “The Expendables” where he yelled at me in front of the whole crew and made me do about 20 takes. He said things like, “My grandma could do better. What the hell are you doing?’ And where everyone is. And the press was there that day, the international press.”
Lundgren was almost in tears and wanted to give up
Lundgren then describes how things almost escalated, but eventually Sylvester Stallone acknowledged his wrongdoings and apologized to Lundgren:
“We took a lunch break and I remember tears welling up in my eyes. I was really angry. I then called my wife and told her: “If he says another word, I’ll knock him out and fuck this movie! Then I’m gone. I’m going to slap him and leave.”
I think when I walked onto the set, people felt there were bad vibes. And then someone patted my back and it was Sly. And he said, ‘Uh, I’m sorry about that. Let’s just do one more take and move on.” We’ve had a few clashes over the years, but what can I say, he’s a crazy Italian. I think he knows I’ve always respected and loved him and I think that’s why we’re still friends.”
Honest words from the action star. Fortunately, this incident did not change the relationship between the 80s movie heroes and the two actors are still happy to work together. Most recently, the two starred together in Creed II, reprising their iconic roles from the Rocky franchise. In addition, Dolph Lundgren is a guest on Stallone’s new Paramount+ reality series, The Family Stallone.