Before becoming a successful actor, Sylvester Stallone was broke and had to clean lion cages: “I couldn’t take it anymore”
The actor claims he had an even worse job at a delicatessen.
Sylvester Stallone is best known as an action star, but there was a time when he faced real hardship. The “Rambo” and “Rocky” icon has been reflecting on his career and legacy in recent years, which has brought to light some fascinating stories from his past.
In a conversation with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, Stallone recalled his life before fame—specifically, a brief and grueling stint working at a zoo.
“It happened when I was young, in New York,” he said. “Look, when you’re broke, you’ll take anything.” Walking down the street one day, he thought, ‘Why not get a job cleaning lion cages?’ It turned out to be brutal work. “I worked at the zoo for about three and a half weeks, and I was just waiting for that thing to gobble me up. I couldn’t stand it anymore.”
Stallone remembered that the worst part wasn’t the danger—it was the smell. “There was no way to get rid of it, not even with a good shower,” he said. “So I quit and got a job cutting meat instead.” But that job came with its own horrors: “You guys have no idea. Never look under a pastrami stove—you’ll see hell.” Apparently, it was even worse than the lion cages.
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More recently, Stallone revealed that he had been developing a Rambo prequel, where he planned to play a younger version of himself using AI de-aging technology. However, that project didn’t move forward. Instead, another Rambo prequel is now in the works—without Stallone’s involvement. This time, actor Noah Centineo will take on the role of John Rambo.
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