Anthony Ippolito Talks Stallone Transformation and Canine Co-Star in ‘I Play Rocky’

Anthony Ippolito faced two very different challenges playing Sylvester Stallone in “I Play Rocky”: building the physique to match his subject and sharing scenes with a less-than-enthusiastic dog. Speaking to Variety at the film’s Saturday AFI Fest screening, the actor described a transformation that extended well beyond mastering Stallone’s recognizable voice.

“It had its moments for sure. I was being tested,” Ippolito told the publication. Variety reported that the role required him to develop a muscular build from a previously slim frame, making the physical preparation a substantial part of becoming the young Stallone on screen.

His canine scene partner presented another kind of test. “He wasn’t a huge fan of me,” Ippolito said, according to Variety’s headline. The available excerpt does not explain the circumstances behind that assessment, but the remark offered a lighter counterpoint to the demands of his physical transformation.

Directed by Peter Farrelly, “I Play Rocky” follows Stallone’s determination to both write and star in the 1976 film “Rocky.” AFI describes the story as a portrait of an unknown actor refusing to surrender the leading role despite repeated rejection, placing his belief in himself at the center of the drama.

That premise gives Ippolito a task distinct from simply recreating Rocky Balboa. He portrays the performer trying to secure the opportunity to play the character, before the film became the defining association audiences bring to Stallone. The voice and physique are therefore parts of a portrayal built around an actor whose ambitions have not yet been realized.

The casting also puts a recognizable screen identity at the heart of a behind-the-scenes story. Ippolito’s comments highlight the practical work involved in establishing that identity, rather than treating resemblance as a matter of appearance alone. His account of the preparation points to the physical effort beneath the finished performance.

AFI’s festival listing credits Peter Gamble as the screenwriter and names an ensemble including AnnaSophia Robb, P.J. Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass, Matt Dillon, Stephan James and Kiki Seto. The festival presented the film in its Red Carpet Premieres section, with a screening listed at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre.

The festival appearance brought attention to both the filmmaking story and the actor carrying its central role. As “I Play Rocky” reaches audiences, the question is how those individual elements — the vocal work, changed physique and scenes with human and animal partners — serve its account of Stallone’s persistence. AFI’s framing places that struggle, rather than an imitation of an established star, at the center of the film.