Anthony Ippolito filmed his first self-tape audition for I Play Rocky in his grandma’s basement. Ippolito was cast to portray a young Sylvester Stallone in the film, which follows the actor's journey during the making of the 1976 film Rocky. It was far from a simple journey for Stallone, who struggled to write and star in the film.

Now, the young actor taking on Stallone's role also faced many challenges in landing the role in the film. He recently recalled his inspiration and the entire process of securing the role in the film.

Anthony Ippolito recently appeared in an interview with Extra TV, where he discussed his career and landing the role in I Play Rocky. When asked about his audition, he recalled that he was initially not selected for the role. He had read the film’s announcement back in 2024 and decided to audition. He filmed his audition tape in his grandma’s basement.

“I shot some stuff down there with a couple of friends of mine, and just to kind of show them that I was excited about it and try to capture some of the physicality,” he said.

“And so thankfully after that I was able to get my hands on more of the script and then just keep sending them stuff until they would either tell me to stop or you know that it was going in the right direction, and thankfully it was.”

During the interview, he recalled being nervous during the process. Finally, after much effort, Ippolito was cast as a young Sylvester Stallone in 2025. The actor has received immense praise for his performance in the film. Following its premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, the film is now gearing up for a brief theatrical release.

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Apart from the appreciation for Ippolito’s performance, the film has also received an incredible rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

I Play Rocky earned an impressive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. At the time of writing, the film has an 86 percent score. Directed by Peter Farrelly and written by Peter Gamble, the film follows Sylvester Stallone as he works on the screenplay for the famous film Rocky while trying to convince people that he should play the lead character.

Some of the real people who played a part in Stallone’s journey to making the film, such as Carl Weathers and Sasha Czack, will also be portrayed in the film. AnnaSophia Robb, Matt Dillon, P. J. Byrne, and Toby Kebbell also star in the biographical film. While Rocky took the world by storm, the story of how it was made has also garnered much hype.

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What do you think about Anthony Ippolito's story to make it to the film, I Play Rocky? Let us know in the comments.