Stallone shares his true impressions of meeting Dolph Lundgren on Rocky IV

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

There are many things that I remain unsure of in this life, but there is one thing I know for certain: I would never want to be on Sylvester Stallone's bad side. Even the thought of finding myself on his shitlist sends shivers down my spine. I imagine him looking at me through disappointed eyes, which is then promptly followed by a mighty left hook that wipes my face clear off of my skull. It would be Bad News Bears for this 165 pounds of geek, and I shudder to think of the poor soul who would be left to clean up the mess.

Earlier this month, we'd learned that ROCKY IV alums Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren are poised to reteam for multiple projects, but did you know that Stallone didn't like the cut of Lundgren's jib upon their first meeting? According to Stallone, he hated Lundgren from the get go. At least that's what he told Jimmy Fallon during a recent late night interview.

“In Rocky IV I really wanted a big, horrible, vicious guy,” Stallone explained. “Like a primitive. And I couldn't find him. I’m finding giant wrestlers, and football players, and that. And then all of a sudden the door opened, the smoke came in, there’s light," Sly said to Fallon as he recalled the atmosphere of his first meeting with the Ivan Drago actor.

“[He had a] proceeding hairline, shoulders this wide, everything was perfect. Even his calves were coming through his clothing. Just muscular. Blue eyes are staring into my soul. He was the real Terminator, and I was like, ‘I hate this guy. He’s too perfect. And if I loathe him, I’m sure the world will.’ He’s not really, but he looks like something from a thousand years into the future.”

In time, Stallone and Lundgren formed a bond like any other, and went on to collaborate on several projects including Stallone's action-packed THE EXPENDABLES franchise. Now, the two hulking He-Man-like brothers are developing a TV series starring Lundgren with Stallone expected to executive produce.

“There’s an idea we’ve come up with called The International,” Stallone explained to Fallon. “It deals with the UN but it’s a different kind of UN, a little hardcore. There’s a lot of action in it but it also really feeds into who Dolph is, because he is international. He’s incredibly intelligent so he’s going to bring a different spin to the whole thing.”

Lundgren is indeed incredibly intelligent. In fact, the build-like-a-brick-shithouse blonde bombshell has an extensive educational background, including a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Sydney. After graduating at the top of his class, Lundgren was then awarded a Fulbright scholarship to the high-profile Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, one of the world’s most renowned engineering schools. He eventually found his way to America, where he later locked eyes with Stallone, his baby blues burning holes in the Italian Stallion's soul.

Lastly, before bringing their interview spot to a close, Fallon inquired about the possibility there being another film in the Expendables franchise, to which Stallone teased: “Hopefully we’re going to that film together, maybe I’ll direct it, I will produce it. Then we may do another Expendables.”

Despite their initial misgivings about one another, it sounds as if we can look forward to seeing more projects from the dynamic duo of Stallone and Lundgren, down the road. I suppose this instance lends credence to the idea of never judging a book by its muscle-bound cover, eh? After all, it's what's on the inside that counts most.