LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Dolph Lundgren and Sylvester Stallone have been friends for many years; in the 1985 film 'Rocky IV', Lundgren was cast opposite Stallone as the antagonist. When two people have a long-lasting friendship, it's only inevitable that they occasionally butt heads. Lundgren recently admitted that this happened while they were filming 'The Expendables' in 2010, to the point where he wanted to attack Stallone and quit the project.
On a different note, the actor revealed in an upcoming episode of 'In Depth With Graham Bensinger' that he was given a cancer diagnosis in 2015, but when a kidney tumor was removed, the cancer was cured. When a much larger tumor was later found in his liver in 2021, it was determined that it was too big to be removed, and he was given two to three years to live, reports Fox News.
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'I’m just gonna punch him out and f***ing leave'
Regarding his long-standing professional friendship with Stallone, Lundgren remarked, "We had some good times and bad times, kinda like family to some degree." The 'Rocky IV' star added: "He was very harsh on me in a scene in ‘The Expendables’ where he kinda yelled at me in front of the whole crew and had me do about 20 takes on a scene. It was like, ‘My grandmother could do it better than that. What the f**k, what are you doing?’ You know, basically in front of everybody. And there was press there that day too, international press."
Lundgren remembered: "We took a lunch break, and I remember I was kind of in tears. I was really upset. I called my wife that time and I basically just told her, "If he says one more word, I’m going to knock him out and f*** this movie, I’m out of here. I’m just going to punch him out and f***ing leave.’" After venting to his wife, he returned to the set and said, "People felt it wasn’t such a good vibration." Lundgren recalled Stallone approaching him to apologize before things turned worse.
They have occasionally had "run-ins over the years, but what can I say, he’s a crazy Italian," he continued. "I think he knows that I’ve always respected him and loved him, and I think that’s why we’re still friends."
The two still have a close relationship; Lundgren even appeared in Stallone's latest Paramount+ reality series, 'The Family Stallone'. In 2018's 'Creed II', both actors reprised their 'Rocky' characters. The Drago family will be the focus of a new 'Rocky' spinoff movie that MGM announced was in development last year. Ivan Drago, Rocky's Russian foe, was portrayed by Dolph Lundgren in 'Rocky IV', while Florian Munteanu made his acting debut as Ivan's son in 'Creed II', as per Variety.
Dolph Lundgren was given 2-3 years to live
In his interview with Bensinger, Lundgren not only discussed the tense relationship between him and Stallone, but he also provided an update on his health. The Swedish actor was given a cancer diagnosis in 2015, but the disease was cured after a kidney tumor was removed. Then, in 2021, another significantly larger tumor was found in his liver; this one, per the experts, was too big to be removed.
He was given two to three years to live, but he sought a second opinion from another medical professional who was able to examine the tumor more thoroughly and recognize that a different treatment might be able to help him. In the end, the tumor was able to be removed from his body after it had shrunk by around 90%. The 'Creed II' star's perceptions of life have changed as an effect of the entire event. Lundgren says, "You just appreciate being lucky enough to be alive," when asked about his current theology, reported Deadline.