I Play Rocky Premieres at TIFF as People's Choice Contender — SkimNews
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- "I Play Rocky" world-premiered Sept. 12 at TIFF's Special Presentations program at the Princess of Wales Theatre, with multiple applauses breaking out during the screening
- Peter Farrelly directs the film about Stallone's standoff with studios over his insistence on starring in the original "Rocky"; Farrelly won TIFF's People's Choice Award eight years ago with "Green Book," which went on to win the Best Picture Oscar
- Anthony Ippolito landed the role of Stallone after Farrelly watched a self-tape the then-unknown actor had filmed in his grandmother's basement — "I looked at it and the search was over," Farrelly told the TIFF crowd
- Ippolito previously played a young Al Pacino in Paramount+'s "The Offer," making "I Play Rocky" his second turn embodying a young Italian American icon at the dawn of a Best Picture winner
- Supporting cast includes AnnaSophia Robb as Sasha Czack, Matt Dillon as Frank Stallone Sr., Stephan James as Carl Weathers, and Jay Duplass as director John G. Avildsen
- Amazon MGM Studios opens the film in limited release Nov. 6, expanding nationwide Nov. 20
Why it matters: TIFF's People's Choice Award has proven a reliable Best Picture bellwether — Farrelly's own "Green Book" won it in 2017 and took the Oscar — so Amazon MGM now has a genuine awards-season vehicle timed for the Nov. 6 limited release. Ippolito, a working actor since childhood, emerges as a credible breakout contender playing a role that mirrors his own underdog casting story.
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