Sylvester Stallone has warned actors not to do their own stunts as he prepares to undergo a seventh operation on his back due to injuries sustained on set.
"There's something romantic about doing your own stunts," the actor, 77, said in the latest season of his Paramount+ reality show "The Family Stallone," according to USA Today. "There's something very unromantic about after doing your own stunts. Here we go ahead, it's back operation season."
Stallone acknowledged doing "stupid stuff" in some of his films, particularly highlighting 2010's "The Expendables." He both directed and starred in the action film, revealing he struggled to bounce back after sustaining injuries during a fight sequence with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, where he was slammed against a wall.
"After that film, I was literally physically never the same," the actor shared. "So I warn people, don't do your own stunts."
During the episode, Stallone's wife, Jennifer Flavin, admitted it is always a "scary time" for the family when the actor goes into surgery.
"He doesn't like people to know he's had so many back surgeries … I hope this is the one to help him live a more comfortable life," she said, according to the Independent.
"It's really hard to see my father go through yet another painful operation," Stallone's daughter, Scarlet Stallone, added.
"My whole childhood, he was in pain. He did everything he could to push through the pain and be present, but I couldn't imagine every waking moment you are just hurting."
Actors sustaining injuries while performing their own stunts has come to the forefront in recent days, with Russell Crowe revealing earlier this week that he broke both his legs during filming his 2010 "Robin Hood" but continued to work for at least a month.
"We were shooting a big movie, so you just struggle through, but the last month of that job was very tricky. There was a number of weeks where even walking was a challenge," he said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.