Sylvester Stallone Reveals How His Dog Saved the ‘Rocky’ Script from Being Sold for $100

Before Rocky became one of cinema’s most iconic underdog stories, Sylvester Stallone was a struggling actor with just $106 in his bank account, sleeping in a small apartment and trying to convince the world — and himself — that his story mattered. Recently, Stallone shared that he once nearly sold the Rocky script for just $100, and the reason he didn’t had everything to do with his dog.

“I couldn’t sell my story without my best friend in it,” Stallone said. “So I kept both.”

In the early 1970s, inspired by watching an underdog boxer fight against impossible odds, Stallone wrote Rocky. “I saw myself in that ring,” he recalled. “A guy who just wouldn’t stay down.”

Desperate for money, Stallone began shopping the script to studios. One producer offered him $100 on the spot — but there was a catch: they wanted the story, not the man. They didn’t want him to star in it.

“I was broke,” Stallone said. “I had bills. I had no car. I was walking everywhere. But when they said they’d take the script and hire someone else to play Rocky… I froze. I couldn’t do it.”

The decision to walk away wasn’t driven by ambition or pride — it was a quiet reminder from his loyal companion, his bullmastiff Butkus.

“He was with me through everything — the hunger, the cold, the rejection,” Stallone said. “When I looked at him that day, I thought, if I sell this story, I’m selling us. I’m selling the part of me that still believes.”

Two weeks later, another studio agreed to let Stallone star as Rocky Balboa. The film went on to win three Oscars, including Best Picture, and turned Stallone into a symbol of perseverance and hope.

Stallone would later call Butkus “my real co-star,” even including him in the original Rocky. “That movie wasn’t about boxing,” he said. “It was about not giving up on yourself — or the ones who never gave up on you.”

In the end, Stallone’s story — and Butkus’s loyalty — became legend. The man who almost sold his dream for $100 instead built a legacy worth millions. And every time fans hear the opening chords of Gonna Fly Now, they’re reminded that the greatest victories often start with the smallest choices — and sometimes, a best friend who refuses to let you quit.

If you want, I can also create a shorter, punchy version for online entertainment outlets, emphasizing the dog’s role and the $100 near-sale moment. Do you want me to do that?