Carl Weathers Landed His Iconic Rocky Role By Insulting Sylvester Stallone
While the late Carl Weathers is known for several major credits, the most recognizable role of his career is undoubtedly his portrayal of boxer Apollo Creed in the "Rocky" films. Initially appearing as the antagonist of the 1976 original, Weathers went on to return as Apollo in the next three installments, turning him into one of the franchise's most enduring stars. However, it wasn't always such a guarantee that Weathers would take on the role of Rocky Balboa's (Sylvester Stallone) biggest rival. In fact, it took a last-ditch attempt for Weathers to score the part — one that involved insulting the lead star to his face.
In a 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Weathers recalled how his audition for "Rocky" didn't go as smoothly as he hoped. According to the performer, the only person available to read with him was Stallone himself, who was introduced to Weathers as the film's writer and not its star. "We read through the scene and at the end of it, I didn't feel like [the scene] really sailed ... and they were quiet and there was this moment of awkwardness," he recalled. "So I just blurted out, 'I could do a lot better if you got me a real actor to work with.' So I just insulted the star of the movie without really knowing it and not intending to."
Luckily for Weathers, his accidental insult resonated with Stallone, who seemingly felt that it embodied Apollo. The rest is history, with Weathers signing onto the role. "Sometimes the mistakes are the ones that get you the gig," he noted.
Weathers beat the odds to land his Rocky role
As it happens, the awkward audition wasn't the only issue Carl Weathers had to push through to obtain his iconic role as Apollo Creed. In a 2017 interview with The Rich Eisen Show, the actor revealed that the "Rocky" studio originally didn't even want to test him in the role. "I get the script and my agent says to me, 'But they don't really want to meet you,'" he said. "Wait a minute, I read this script, I'm chomping at the bit because it's so brilliantly written, and I see yours truly as the only guy who can play Apollo Creed, of course. But they don't want to see me?"
It took a concerted effort from Weathers and his agents to convince the "Rocky" makers to simply give him an audition. Of course, the infamous story of the actor unknowingly insulting Sylvester Stallone is what follows, though Weathers did offer up an alternative explanation for his casting. "I tell people I think I got the job because Sly wanted to beat the hell out of me," the actor suggested. "[He was thinking,] 'I'll show him who's a real actor."
While Weathers characterizes his journey to the role of Apollo as a battle against the odds, it seems Stallone himself was plenty confident in the actor's ability to play the role. In an Instagram video tribute, Stallone reacted to Weathers' death and shared his perspective of their first meeting. "I give him incredible credit and kudos because when he walked into that room and I saw him for the first time, I saw greatness, but I didn't realize how great," he said. "I never could have accomplished what we did with 'Rocky' without him."