Hitting theaters nationwide tomorrow is a brand-new film, I Play Rocky, which tells the astonishing true story behind Sylvester Stallone’s Oscar-winning classic, Rocky. Stallone, a Catholic revert, famously left hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table to ensure he played the lead role in the film he wrote in just three and a half days.
The new film stars Anthony Ippolito as Stallone and AnnaSophia Robb as his wife, Sasha. Catholic actor P.J. Byrne co-stars as legendary producer Irwin Winkler — one of two real-life producers who famously mortgaged their own homes to get the original movie made. Portraying Winkler marks one of the biggest roles yet for the 51-year-old Byrne, who recently opened up about the spiritual themes that resonate most with him in this new film.
AnnaSophia Robb and Anthony Ippolito with PJ Byrne shown behind them in the middle in Peter Farrelly’s new movie, I Play Rocky. (Credit: Amazon MGM Studios)While many view Rocky as the ultimate “dude movie” played on repeat in basement man-caves, Byrne insists Rocky is fundamentally a love story:
“I think it’s a love story, ultimately. You’ve got to remember that Rocky doesn’t win the fight. I think what God always tells us is that
