Sylvester Stallone Discusses Body Image and Health Struggles at Age 80

<figure><img alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - CIRCA 1982: Actor Sylvester Stallone, as Rocky Balboa, rests in the corner of the ring on the set of Rocky III in May of 1982 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by James Drake/Getty Images)" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/2GKNVPRG5VET3PHL2YBMXX4C6M.jpg?auth=1e6b48d17b6cff711bbd5d21aab14985bab358ff57118f153b7a62819ba27352&amp;smart=true&amp;width=4042&amp;height=2274" /><figcaption>James Drake / Getty Images</figcaption></figure><p>Sylvester Stallone has revealed the extreme measures he took to achieve his well-known physique during his career in action films. In an interview with the <i>New York Times</i>, the 80-year-old actor disclosed that he developed an eating disorder and used steroids while striving for peak physical condition.</p><p>“It got to the point where I became bulimic. You heard it here first,” Stallone stated in the interview published on September 26, 2026.</p><img alt="The star said his iconic " src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/GT2XBAAMUBGE5P7WVPV5I2GO4U.jpg?auth=251c6305bc198464a4607ccb60b88b6b6050f3216a293957725da53783cb790a&amp;smart=true&amp;width=2802&amp;height=4249" /><p>Stallone gained fame after writing and starring in the 1976 film <i>Rocky</i>, where he portrayed a struggling boxer. He received two Oscar nominations for the film: Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay.</p><p>As the <i>Rocky</i> franchise expanded in the 1980s, Stallone's public image and physical appearance became increasingly prominent. He noted that his body fat dropped to 2.6 percent while filming <i>Rocky III</i>.</p><p>“I couldn’t hold anything down. Or I didn’t want to keep it down because I became so obsessed with staying at that point of fitness, literally an obsessive body-worship kind of thing,” he explained.</p><p>Stallone described his physique as his “armor,” noting that the character of Rocky Balboa evolved from a “very smooth, very normal-looking guy” to a more vain figure.</p><p>His transformation intensified when he took on the role of John Rambo in 1982. “You’re playing a warrior, so you’d be a little bit more animalistic,” he said. “So I started to think: Design your body like a jaguar, a cat. Not big like Arnold, but more feral and aggressive and very limber and athletic.”</p><img alt="Stallone said as his characters grew in success, so did his obsession with staying lean. / Jeff Christensen / REUTERS" height="1360" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/66AQ5FRYX5GBJOAV2DI2DSNWRU.JPG?auth=0bd5654c88bf567b9c95ca80368c1f2dc31a51429d7c3de06aaac90957edbf4a&amp;smart=true&amp;width=2031&amp;height=1360" width="2031" /><p>However, what began as a physical transformation for his roles became an obsession with maintaining an extreme physique. Stallone acknowledged that steroids were part of achieving a body he claimed could not be maintained naturally for extended periods.</p><p>“And nobody does it without additives and drugs, period,” he stated. “I don’t care what they say.”</p><img alt="American actor Sylvester Stallone arrives at the Manhattan nightclub and disco Studio 54 in New York, New York, July 6, 1978. (Photo by Oscar Abolafia/TPLP/Getty Images) / Oscar Abolafia / Getty Images" height="4591" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/UYMJRVTQGVCFPLGYISINEOOJ5E.jpg?auth=9b9ae3e80e18d7fbba2b313579cf9d882b7313b6ccdd42c84c520c0f3dea0704&amp;smart=true&amp;width=2763&amp;height=4591" width="2763" /><p>He mentioned cycling the drugs “six weeks on, six weeks off,” and noted that maintaining his physique took a “terrible toll.”</p><p>Stallone's comments come amid ongoing research that challenges the stereotype that eating disorders primarily affect women. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, about one in three individuals with an eating disorder is male, and 22 percent of men in one study reported engaging in muscularity-oriented disordered eating behaviors.</p><p>Stallone shared that he felt some relief while filming the 1997 film <i>Cop Land</i>, which required him to step away from the hyper-muscular action-hero image. “It wasn’t until I did <i>Cop Land</i>, when I had to play the weakest guy in the room—partially deaf, overweight—that I felt somewhat liberated,” he said.</p><img alt="Stallone said it wasn’t until his role playing an overweight guy in “Cop Land” that he felt true freedom with his body. / Lawrence Schwartzwald / Getty Images" height="5700" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/NP77ARMKJ5FBVHDDPJ7XCT5ZKA.jpg?auth=65eeb4b2e59f0b394c2af418b2cc25d9f4d21d9d4f78d144407b16a0161ad5a2&amp;smart=true&amp;width=5129&amp;height=5700" width="5129" /><p>The actor, who has five children, revealed that years of physical strain have resulted in numerous injuries. “I’ve abused my body,” he stated, mentioning he has undergone nine back operations, two shoulder operations, and three neck fusions.</p><p>“Everything is held together with baling wire, but I still want to stay in good shape,” he added.</p><p>Despite being visibly fit at 80, Stallone no longer views his physique as the armor it once was. “I’m sort of fit, but I take a lot of pills to keep going,” he said. “It’s come at a terrible price.”</p><p>Reflecting on his career, he mentioned he would have made at least one significant change: “Let someone else carry the banner and don’t do your own stunts.”</p><p>These revelations coincide with the upcoming release of Stallone’s memoir, <i>The Steps</i>, on September 29, 2026, which references the famous staircase from the <i>Rocky</i> film.</p><p><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/sylvester-stallone-reveals-chiseled-rocky-body-came-from-bulimia-steroids/">Read more at The Daily Beast.</a></p>