Anthony Ippolito was so excited to play Sylvester Stallone in a biopic about the making of “Rocky” that the up-and-coming actor shot an audition tape blindly, before he had even read a script or obtained sides.
Ippolito stars as a young Stallone in Peter Farrelly’s “I Play Rocky,” which details the uphill battle to get “Rocky” made, which eventually won Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1977. One of the buzziest titles this year at the festival, Ippolito said that he initially heard about the project through a news article and decided to take a shot before anyone even asked him to.
“I hung a heavy bag in my grandma’s basement. I didn’t have a script, so I was just working with my imagination, trying to capture the physicality of the character,” Ippolito told Casey Loving at TheWrap’s studio at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Ippolito shot the audition tape with his friend, who is an aspiring director, and his cousin.
“It kind of felt like a bit of a long shot, but it was a creative exercise, and it was actually really fun,” he added.
He sent the audition to the film’s producers and casting director, and it actually worked — they sent him the script in return and asked for a proper audition. Feeling bold, Ippolito got even more ambitious, shot several more scenes on his own and sent those in too, before eventually landing the coveted role. His gambit had paid off.
“I had seen an article that they were making this movie, and I had known a little bit of Stallone’s story, so I was like, ‘This is going to be a great movie,’ and I really wanted to be a part of it. It didn’t seem very plausible to some people at the time, but I was really, really enthusiastic about it,” Ippolito said.
“I Play Rocky” centers on Stallone’s adamant belief that he not only serve as the writer on “Rocky” but also be the one to play the character, despite being turned down numerous times. Eventually, Stallone won out, and the rest is history.
Ippolito said that he researched Stallone’s early career from 1972 to 1976, piecing together footage from bit parts Stallone booked in those days as a journeyman character actor. Ippolito also trained for the film’s fight sequences alongside actor Stephan James (who plays Carl Weathers/Apollo Creed), an exercise that left both actors with injuries.
“We were in Gleason’s Gym, beating the crap out of each other. We got banged up. I had some wrist stuff, he had something with his ankle. It’s not an easy game, but it was great,” Ippolito said.
“Rocky” remains one of the most successful sports movies ever made. The 1976 film spawned a slew of sequels and later a trio of “Creed” spinoffs starring Michael B. Jordan. Stallone earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination for “Rocky” in 1977 and a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the first “Creed” film in 2016.
Ippolito’s role as Stallone won’t be the first time he’s taken on portraying an icon. One of his biggest credits is playing Al Pacino in the Paramount+ limited series “The Offer,” which told the story of the making of “The Godfather.”
Amazon MGM Studios will release “I Play Rocky” in select theaters on Nov. 6 before it expands wide later in November, just in time for the Thanksgiving moviegoing crowd.
It’s one of a couple of awards contenders Amazon MGM has on its hands, including last spring’s box office hit “Project Hail Mary” which will also be getting a major push.
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