Sylvester Stallone Nearly Died While Filming Rocky IV Movie

(KTDY) - Growing up, every movie we watched felt bigger than life, but did you know that Sylvester Stallone nearly died while filming Rocky 4?

In the movie, Apollo dies while fighting Drago in an exhibition fight, but in real life, Stallone nearly perished.

I recently came across some unknown facts about one of my favorite movies of all time, Rocky 4, and I was shocked to learn a few. For one, when Dolph Lundgren auditioned for the movie role, they thought he'd be too tall to play it. However, when Stallone saw Lundgren's physique, he was given the role to play "Drago."

Lungren was a strong man, and while filming, he got a bit too rough in the ring with Carl Weathers, prompting Weathers to walk off the set for a few days, thus jeopardizing the production of Rocky 4.

The story is that Weathers, who played Apollo, didn't like how Lundgren was tossing him around the ring, and when it wasn't addressed, Weathers simply walked out.

Where Was Rocky 4 Filmed?

Then there's the setting in the movie where it appears that Rocky is training in Russia, well, they were never in Russia. The frigid snow scenes for the movie were filmed in Wyoming, and the fight between Rocky and Drago was filmed in a dome in Canada. Still, the scenes looked every bit like they were in a hostile Russian environment.

Now, let's talk about Sylvester Stallone nearly dying while filming the fight between him and Drago. Stallone had a huge role in directing the film, so much so that there was a 50-page book on how each round would go, punch by punch.

How Sylvester Stallone Almost Died Filming Rocky

To make the movie look more realistic, Stallone and Lundgren agreed to actually hit each other while filming the climactic fight, which Rocky wins. Well, apparently, things got rough here, too, and Stallone was hit so hard in his chest that his heart smashed up against his breastbone.

As a result, Stallone's heart started to swell, and he was rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles from Canada, where they were filming the final scenes of the movie.

If you love Rocky 4, you'll love these behind-the-scenes facts highlighted in the video below. Enjoy.

And now I want to watch the movie again, for the 500th time.