It's been 35 years since Rocky IV put Sylvester Stallone's character up against the powerhouse that is Dolph Lundgren. As part of a retrospective on the film, The Hollywood Reporter went back into their interview archives to shed some light on an interesting bit of history. As it turns out, Stallone, who was both the star and director of the film, bit off a little more than he could chew during the filming of the fight, and ended up in the ICU for nine days.
In the fourth Rocky film, Lundgren played the imposing Ivan Drago, and Stallone decided he wanted the big confrontation to look as real as possible. In order to achieve this level of detail, there was only one way to make things truly authentic: Stallone told Lundgren to actually hit him. He recalls telling Lundgren: "Just go out there and try to clock me. For the first minute of the fight, it is going to be a free-for-all." Turns out asking an absolute behemoth of a man to actually hit the lead actor isn't great for their health, and after shooting that day Stallone really felt the damage, eventually checking into the ICU where doctors could address his injuries.
At the very least, neither side seems to hold a grudge over the event. Stallone joked that getting hit by Lundgren was like hitting a bus, and Lundgren was also fairly lighthearted about the incident: "All I did was obey orders. He was the boss. I did what he told me. We came back to L.A. and the producer was like, 'Hey Dolph, you've got two weeks off — Sly's in the hospital.'" Whether or not actually hitting Stallone was necessary, the movie did make the final showdown worthwhile, and today Rocky IV is remembered as a an iconic, if cheesy, entry in the Rocky franchise.
Back in September, Stallone announced that Rocky IV would be getting a brand new director's cut. In the announcement he said: "For the 35th anniversary, Rocky 4 Is getting a new director's cut by me. So far it looks great. Soulful. Thank you MGM For this opportunity to entertain." Though no official release date has been announced.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter