Ever since he was very young, Sylvester Stallone knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. His dream was to work in the movie business. Why? For him it was an opportunity to inspire people and help them escape from everyday life. Even though he was short, talked and looked weird, he knew what he wanted and wasn’t willing to settle for anything else. So he auditioned, but the feedback he got was:
“You look weird! Go find something else to do!”
“Do you hear how you talk? There is no place for you in this field…”
“You’ll never be in the movies!”
“Are you crazy? No one wants to see someone who looks like that or listen to someone who talks with his mouth shut!”
He was turned down by over 15,000 agencies… You’re probably wondering: are there 15,000 agencies in New York? No, there aren’t, but he went to every one of them eight or nine times. That’s how persistent he was.
His first role was that of a murderer who was beaten for 20 seconds… and that was after a day and a night in front of an agency that didn’t even want to see him. In 5 years he acted in 14 movies, in similar roles, because he couldn’t get other parts. He kept getting rejected.
On top of that, he was broke, he couldn’t even pay for the heating in his apartment, his wife scolded him every day because he couldn’t find work elsewhere. But he knew that if he had found work elsewhere, he would have become complacent and lost his motivation, he would have been stuck in a rut, and his dream would have gradually disappeared. He knew that the only way to get where he wanted to be was to keep motivated, because he had nothing to lose and that was his only sure advantage.
It was so cold in his apartment that one day, instead of going home, he went into a bookstore, not to read, just to warm up. So while walking through the bookstore, he found a book by Edgar Allan Poe on one of the tables. She fell in love with his works and started reading all about him. Edgar Allan Poe made him stop worrying about himself and start thinking about how he could touch people’s souls. So he decided to change his approach and become a writer.
He tried to write many screenplays and, after many attempts, he managed to sell a screenplay, it was called “Paradise Alley”, for which he received only 100 dollars. After a while, he ran out of money again, so he pawned his wife’s jewelry, and since then he used to say:
“There are some things you should never do, no matter how bad you’re doing, specifically, selling your wife’s jewelry… unless you want a divorce!”
All he had left was his dog, which he loved more than anything, but he was so broke that he had no money to feed him. So he went in front of a liquor store and tried to sell his dog to passers-by for 50 dollars.
Finally, a passer-by started to negotiate with him the price offered for the dog. He got 25 bucks for his best friend. It was the worst day of his life, he got home and started crying.
Two weeks later, he was watching a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Wepner, a white guy who was getting beaten up, but he kept getting up and wouldn’t give up under any circumstances. After the fight was over, Sylvester Stallone began to write for 20 hours non-stop until he finished the script. The script was called “Rocky”.
He was very excited, he knew what he wanted, why and how to get there. He changed his approach, he started all over again, but this time he didn’t participate in castings but tried to sell his script to agencies.
But, after reading the script, people told him:
“You know… it’s very predictable…”
“It’s very stupid! I’ve never read a bigger piece of crap in my life!”
“It’s too syrupy…”
However, he kept trying to sell his script. Eventually an agency read the script, and they believed in it and were excited about the subject, so they offered him 125,000 dollars for the rights.
“Agreed,” Sylvester told them, “but in order to sell your script, you have to keep one thing in mind… I have to play the lead!”
What did they answer?
“What are you talking about? You’re just a writer! How can you act in a movie?”
“No, I’m an actor! It’s my story and I’m Rocky! I have to play the lead!”
“No way! We don’t pay 125.000 dollars per script, to play an anonymous actor in the movie and throw the money out of the window… In the movie, a star has to play a star!”
(The agency wanted Ryan O’Neal to play Rocky… Can you imagine!?)
“No way! O’Neal ain’t Rocky! I am Rocky!”
After long debates, they gave him an ultimatum…
“Either you agree to sell us the script without acting in the movie, or we drop the whole thing.”
“If that is your wish! shouted Sylvester as he went out the door.”
Why didn’t he accept? Because he knew exactly what he wanted and what he was offered was not in line with his dreams and he was determined to get exactly what he wanted and nothing less. Of course, they called him a few weeks later and offered him $250,000 not to star in his own movie. He turned them down again, so they came back with a final offer of $325,000, because they wanted the script so badly, but Sylvester told them:
“Not without me!”
But they refused again…
Finally, they compromised and offered him only $35,000 and a percentage of the movie’s profits, because if he was going to star in his own movie, he had to take some risks.
What do you think was the first thing he did after receiving the money?
He went back to the store where he sold his dog and stayed there for 3 days, hoping that the man who bought his dog would pass by. On the third day, while he was standing in front of the store, the man appears with his dog, stops him and says:
“Sir, remember me? A month and a half ago I sold you my dog.”
“Yes, yes, I remember. I love this dog!”
“You know, I was so broke, I didn’t even have money to feed him…he’s my best friend…I’m sure you love him too, but you have to give him back! I’ll pay you 100 dollars! I know you only offered me 25, but I’ll give you 100!”
“No way! he replied. He’s my dog now. You can’t buy him back!”
“Sir, please! I offer you 500 dollars!”
“No way!”
“1000 dollars for my dog!”
“No amount of money will help you get it back! said the man resolutely.”
Because he knew what he wanted and had been through it so many times, he tried to change his approach several times.
Did he get his dog back?
Of course! But he ended up paying $15,000 (even though he only had $35,000) plus a part in the movie… (the man plays in Rocky with his dog).
One more thing…
Do you remember all the negative responses he got from agents when he presented the script?
What did Sylvester Stallone do with them?
“I wrote down all the things they said and read the night of the Oscars when I won… The biggest revenge is success of massive proportions!”
The bottom line? There is always a way, if you are committed. All you have to do is change your approach until you get the results you want and never give up on your dreams.
Want to know Sylvester’s recipe?
Below are 5 rules for success, starting today.
Be specific!
Be very specific about what you want, why you want it and by when you want it. You need to be able to visualize what you will get with it. Don’t just want money. Imagine exactly how much money you want to get, by when you propose to get it and what you need it for.
Talk to someone who can help you
Find someone around you who has the resources to help you. Whatever you want is something that someone else has already achieved. The trick is to identify those people and figure out what actions they have taken to get what they want.
Provides value to that person
The first step is to think about how or what you could be of use. If you offer value, you are more likely to be listened to.
Ask with conviction!
If you are uncertain and do not fully believe in what you want, how can you convince others? When you convey what you want, express absolute conviction, both verbally and nonverbally.
Ask until you get what you want
Change and adjust your approach until you get exactly what you want. If you take a closer look at successful people, you will notice that they kept trying, they kept changing their strategy, because they knew that sooner or later they would end up getting exactly what they wanted.
Drag
Claudia
