For his performance in Creed, Sylvester Stallone received his first Oscar nomination since he starred in 1977’s Rocky. That’s nearly four decades of Stallone toiling away in Hollywood without Academy Awards recognition. There are worse fates, and Stallone is lucky to have made a fantastic living from his bruiser roles, but many actors secretly crave more than obscene wealth. Whether or not Stallone was one of these dreamers, we’ll never know. This just happens to be the man’s year. He took home a surprise Golden Globe, and now he’s enjoying a Best Supporting Actor nod.
Stallone was ready to turn away his nomination or, at least, not show up for the ceremony. The #OscarsSoWhite controversy prompted his hesitation, for many celebrities have voiced opinions over the lack of diversity (again) among nominees. Stallone spoke in solidarity about Creed director Ryan Coogler and co-star Michael B. Jordan:
“I remember I spoke with Ryan Coogler when this [#OscarsSoWhite controversy] happened. I said, ‘Ryan, how do you want to handle this? Because I really believe you are responsible for me being here … Michael Jordan, every time I looked in his eyes as an actor, I said, he was making me better. I think he should’ve been given a lot more respect and attention,” Stallone said.
[H]e let Coogler decide whether he’d attend the February 28 ceremony. “I said, ‘If you want me to go, I’ll go. If you don’t, I won’t. He said, ‘No, I want you to go.’ That’s the kind of guy he is. He wants us to go and represent the film.”
Coogler seems to be brushing off the controversy — although not for the same reason as Ice Cube. For his part, Stallone hopes the Academy will truly make good on its promise to increase women and minority members by 2020. Stallone believes “a new paradigm” is needed for true talent to be recognized, and he proclaims, “I really owe everything to these two young men, for sure.” So, we’ll see Stallone supporting Creed at the Oscar ceremony, and maybe he’ll even take home the gold.
(Via Us Weekly)
