Anthony Ippolito on Speaking to Sylvester Stallone Before Filming ‘I Play Rocky’: “Very Overwhelming and Daunting”

What happened

Key facts

• "It was a lot to take in because I'd spent over a year, by that point, studying him,” the actor said at THR‘s Studio at 1 Hotel during TIFF, presented by sponsor Canada Goose.
• Reported by Hollywood Reporter and published Sun, 13 Sep 2026 01:15:16 UTC.

Why it matters

Release schedules, box office and industry deals show where audience attention and studio money are moving next.

What to watch next

• Confirmed release or premiere dates
• Opening figures and audience reception
• Follow-on deals or casting announcements

Coverage timeline

When each newsroom published on this story, oldest first — all times UTC.

1. 22:19 UTC · Hollywood Reporter

   Mahershala Ali Reveals He Was “Yearning” to Perform Action On-Screen Before Filming ‘Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother’

2. 01:10 UTC · Variety

   ‘I Play Rocky’ Premieres at TIFF: A Movie About a Best Picture Winner That’s a Best Picture Contender?

3. 01:15 UTC · Hollywood Reporter

   Anthony Ippolito on Speaking to Sylvester Stallone Before Filming ‘I Play Rocky’: “Very Overwhelming and Daunting”

4. 03:25 UTC · Variety

   ‘I Play Rocky’ Review: Anthony Ippolito Channels Sylvester Stallone in Peter Farrelly’s Cleverly Crafted Crowd-Pleaser About the Making of ‘Rocky’

5. 04:30 UTC · Deadline

   ‘I Play Rocky’ Review: Peter Farrelly’s Sensational Biopic Of The Making Of Stallone’s Classic Is Just As Inspiring As The Original Movie – Toronto Film Festival

6. 05:18 UTC · Hollywood Reporter

   Toronto Awards Analysis: ‘I Play Rocky’ Channels Namesake, Could Follow in Its Oscar Footsteps

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‘I Play Rocky’ Review: Anthony Ippolito Channels Sylvester Stallone in Peter Farrelly’s Cleverly Crafted Crowd-Pleaser About the Making of ‘Rocky’

For a biographical drama to work, it’s not required that the central actor do a pinpoint uncanny, so-close-to- the-real-thing-you-might-think-it’s-the-real-thing impersonation of the person he’s playing.

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‘I Play Rocky’ Review: Peter Farrelly’s Sensational Biopic Of The Making Of Stallone’s Classic Is Just As Inspiring As The Original Movie – Toronto Film Festival

It is no spoiler to say I am going to reveal the final moments of Peter Farrelly’s fantastic crowd-pleasing biopic I Play Rocky, chronicling the making of the 1976 classic Rocky, which not only made Sylvester Stallone a major star but also became one…

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Mahershala Ali Reveals He Was “Yearning” to Perform Action On-Screen Before Filming ‘Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother’

“It offered up an opportunity to engage and commit to the type of difficult I want to commit to," the Oscar winner said about the Bassam Tariq-directed film.

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Toronto Awards Analysis: ‘I Play Rocky’ Channels Namesake, Could Follow in Its Oscar Footsteps

Like Peter Farrelly's earlier film 'Green Book,' this crowd-pleaser could seriously contend for TIFF's audience award en route to major Oscar noms (including best actor for Anthony Ippolito, who plays Sylvester Stallone).

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‘I Play Rocky’ Premieres at TIFF: A Movie About a Best Picture Winner That’s a Best Picture Contender?

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