Stallone: Superhero Bodies Aren't 'Natural' — Steroids Are 'Part — SkimNews
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- Stallone promoted his new memoir "Steps" at a 50-minute live conversation with journalist Tracy Smith at New York's 92nd Street Y, the first installment of a new "CBS Sunday Morning at 92NY" series.
- Stallone detailed his Rocky III body transformation, saying he went from "50% body fat to 2.6%" by eating tuna fish and drinking "maybe 30 cups of coffee a day," adding, "of course, there's steroids."
- Stallone dismissed the natural physiques of action stars, telling the audience: "You really think these guys are natural?… It's almost like putting on part of a costume" for six to eight weeks of a shoot.
- Stallone previously told The New York Times he was "bulimic" while filming Rocky III and described the "terrible toll" steroids took on his body.
- Stallone recalled a "wake-up call" when his wife, Jennifer Flavin Stallone, insisted he see a doctor after he appeared unwell; he had a heart valve replaced and said the exam "absolutely" saved his life.
- Stallone tied his drug use to a narrative choice, saying he wanted Rocky to develop "serious narcissism" and become "shielded and vain" before facing Clubber Lang.
Why it matters: Stallone's on-record normalization of steroid use for superhero and action roles — comparing it to "putting on part of a costume" — gives a major Hollywood figure's explicit confirmation of an open industry secret, while his admission that a heart valve replacement followed his steroid era reframes the physical cost he once downplayed. The memoir and CBS tie-in mark a 50-year Rocky anniversary press cycle built around that confession.
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