Sylvester Stallone on his career: ‘I’m better now than I ever was’

The ‘Rocky’ star looks back at his long career ahead of ‘The Suicide Squad’ release

Sylvester Stallone in November 2019 (Getty Images)

Sylvester Stallone insists he is a better actor now than he was when he received an Oscar nomination for his performance in Rocky.

In the run up to the release of The Suicide Squad, in which he plays King Shark, he told Esquire Middle East: “I’m better now than I ever was.”

Stallone continued: “I’m more relaxed, and I understand how it works. I don’t squander my opportunities.”

A star of over 70 movies including Rocky, First Blood and The Expendables, Stallone also offered comment on the young actors coming through now: “To be an actor today, you almost have to be insane. You’re almost guaranteed 98 per cent unemployment. Guaranteed.”

He added: “Think about that. So to go for it, you have to have a little bit of a screw loose and an unbelievable dream to seek.”

Stallone also discussed his role in The Suicide Squad, which is his second collaboration with director, James Gunn: “It’s quite different from anything I’ve ever done. I certainly have never played a 2000 pound flesh-eating creature. That was fun.”

Sylverster Stallone in Rambo (Getty Images)

The 75-year-old also joked that he’d beat out Paul Newman to the role if he were still alive today: “He had smaller teeth, they’d be wasting their time. He’d need veneers, I’m telling you.”

He also reflected on being in the twilight of his career: “At my age, I look at every film like maybe it’s my last bullet. I try to aim it in the right direction and work hard on it. It wasn’t always like that.”