Sylvester Stallone Rocky IV: 'Dolph Lundgren almost killed me, I was in intensive care'
SYLVESTER STALLONE revealed in new statements how Dolph Lundgren put him in the hospital during the filming of Rocky IV after hitting him so hard, it was "like being in a car accident."
Rocky IV: Dolph Lundgren plays boxer Ivan Drago
Stallone is fighting fit and still going strong as he promotes a new version of his classic 1985 action flick, Rocky IV, subtitled Rocky Vs Drago: The Ultimate Director's Cut. The reworked boxing epic will make its debut on November 11 and its leading man has been reliving one of the most terrifying moments of the original shoot – and his entire life. SCROLL DOWN FOR A SNEAK PEEK AT THE NEW ROCKY IV RELEASE
The 75-year-old wrote and directed the movie but certainly didn't intend to end up in intensive care with nuns praying for his life.
In dramatic new comments, Stallone said: "In the first round, where he (Lundgren) knocked me down, that is for real. He pulverized me and I did not feel it at that moment but later that night my heart started to swell.
"'He had bruised the periocardio sac, which is when the heart hits the chest – like in a car accident when your chest hits the steering wheel. My blood pressure went up to 260. They thought I was going to be talking to angels."
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Lundgren played Rambo's new Russian rival, Ivan Drago. The Swedish former bodyguard and martial arts expert was 11 years younger than his US co-star and towered over him by 20 centimetres.
Stallone previously said: "He hit me so hard he almost stopped my heart. I told him, 'Why don’t we just do it? Just try to knock me out. Really cut loose as hard as you can.' That was a really stupid thing to say."
But nobody expert things to go so badly wrong. WATCH A PREVIEW BELOW
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Stallone added: "Next thing I know, I’m on a low-altitude plane to the emergency room, and I’m in intensive care for four days. And there are all these nuns around."
The actor confessed he had actually known he was in trouble the first time he saw Lundgren.
He added: ""I had to find a superhuman being as an opponent, someone who would be overwhelming... And then Dolph Lundgren walked in, and I hated him immediately."
Stallone explained why he had such a visceral reaction to the statuesque Swede.
He said: "Oh, that’s right, he’s perfect … This is what I would imagine they would create as an athlete — someone who is literally perfect. Indestructible. Shoulders, calves, forearms, giant butt, neck, back, everything."
The Hollywood legend has been keeping his fans updated with the build-up to the screening tomorrow and posted a new picture from a private jet saying: "Going to Philly for the premiere of Rocky versus Drago! Thank you and Keep Punching, like your life depends on it, because it does."