Billion dollars?
Something like that.

So where's the respect for that?
I read, I think, that Arnold was 2.4, Bruce and I were 1.6—or I was 1.5. Who's counting?

I think people underestimate you.
There's a physicality. We're interpreted by primary impression. And away from film, I was physical. I work out a lot, and I didn't mingle in a lot of political circles. I thought you just went to premieres and everybody loved everybody. A kind of naïveté, I had. Peter Sellers gave me some incredible advice: "I'll never see you again, but remember the three H's: Hollywood Hates Happiness." And I thought, "That's bleak!" Nobody hopes everyone goes down in abject failure. I like the competition—Bruce, Arnold… It was invigorating. "He did that? I can do better!"

What do you think your legacy will be?
The character of Rocky, I'm fused to that. So his "never-give-up-ness" is…he, again, came through the service entrance. He dined with the staff, dined with kings, but at the end of the night he paid the check and left through the service entrance. I'll always have this blue-collar connection. For every guy, there is an opportunity to be a lot better than he thought he could be. We can't all be the star of the team, but we can be a star in our life. That's where you set your goal. And that is attainable, because if I did it, it's feasible.

What would you tell your sons to look for in a woman?
A person who revels in your absurdity, laughs at your jokes and your stupidity. You can be the master of the house and the court jester. That's what it's all about. Some days you're just the goofiest bastard in the world and others you're discussing the mortgage.

When your daughters start dating guys, what are you going to tell them to look for?
I'm going to tell them to look for body bags. And where do they want the pieces sent?

You don't want them dating?
I'm going to tell the guys my girls are on a hiking expedition in Egypt; they'll be gone five, six years. Them dating is not going to be fun. I'm totally not ready for it, because I know what lurks in everyone's heart.

What is that?
Conquest. They can't help it. It's the circle of life, and that wheel's rolling real close, and I don't want it rolling over my toes too soon.

What does your wife say about it?
She tends to be a bit more philosophical: "Sly, you can't threaten 12-year-olds." I say, "It works—really well."

Are you a religious man?
I'm pretty spiritual; I believe a lot in the spirit of man. I'm certainly not an atheist.… I was baptized Catholic, but I don't belong to a structured church. I have no opposition to it. I think there's great nuggets of knowledge in there, some wonderful rules to live by. Then the flip side is the amount of agony that's caused, which is, excuse me?

What's the biggest number Catholicism did on you?
Original sin. That guilt. How they say, If you really believe, you have to suffer for Jesus. Guys in military school would stick their hand into a cauldron of scalding water and yell, "I'm doing it for Jesus!" I was at a retreat, and the priest said, "If you can't hold your hand over this candle for five seconds, imagine what an eternity in hell will be like." I put my hand over the flame for two seconds, then I pulled it away. The priest says, "Sit down and be quiet!" I never got over that; it's like, "Eh, I'll give it a shot." Listen, I'm going to have to wrap this up.

Stallone shows me to the waiting room. The kid who buzzed me in is asleep at his desk. The clock says 12:15 p.m. Stallone looks at him, says nothing. I point to one of Stallone's paintings on the wall. He has been painting for twenty years. The piece is mostly black, with a red slash in the center.

Tell me about this.
The black is man. And the red, this is what he's searching for. A woman.

Interesting that the red, the woman, is the void in the center of the piece.
There you go.

That night, I get a call: Stallone wants me to come to his home the next day to see his art. He lives in the kind of gated community where there are gates beyond the gate. Stallone's gate is big and twisted, and there is a stone stallion rearing on two legs. A sign says Slow. Watch for insane dog. When I arrive, Stallone is at the front door. As he is about to walk toward me, I notice a large, fresh dog crap on his porch. Stallone steps toward it.

Watch out for that!
Oh, I put that there. [laughs] I did that just to keep it homey and real. Yeah…this is the house that Rocky built, that's for sure. [Stallone shows me inside. The walls are hung with many of his paintings, and we wander through, looking at them.] That's a thing I did about James Dean. I was doing a series on actors and their trials and tribulations.… Here's something interesting. [Stallone points me toward an old manual typewriter painted olive drab. On the keys, someone has glued bullets and military stars.] Billy Wilder made this typewriter for me. It's called Rambo's Typewriter. He said, "Here, tough guy, this is something I thought would interest you." I thought, Billy Wilder and Rambo, you can't get any further apart.