Sylvester Stallone has spoken out about the injuries he sustained on the set of The Expendables.
Stallone co-directed and starred in the 2010 action thriller, the beginning of a star-studded and much-loved franchise. Think Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren and Jason Statham - what's not to love.
In 2009, during the shooting for the film, the now-77-year-old suffered an injury while performing one of his own stunts, and he's since revealed he's 'never fully recovered' from it.
Stallone was 62-years-old at the time when he took on the role of Barney Ross, and filmed a fight scene with Steve Austin for The Expendables.
He revealed to FHM Magazine after filming for the movie finished: "Man, it was seven guys, kicking each other's ass, one guy tougher than the next … no joke, our stunt guys were begging for mercy.
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"Actually, my fight with 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was so vicious that I ended up getting a hairline fracture in my neck. I'm not joking.
"I haven't told anyone this, but I had to have a very serious operation afterwards. I now have a metal plate in my neck."
According to Saint Luke's Health System a neck fracture, whether 'a minor hairline crack' or 'a major break' can be 'very serious if the nerves or the spinal chord are also damaged'.
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"In some cases, this can lead to paralysis or death. Any neck fracture is considered a medical emergency and requires medical care right away," it adds.
Stallone carried on filming for the movie anyway, despite medical advice.
In an interview for Sly - a Netflix documentary about Stallone's 50-year career in the movie industry - the actor admitted the injury still effects him over 10 years on.
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He said: "Truthfully, I never fully recovered.
"It did such a number on my body, I've never been the same."
The Expendables franchise has gone on to become an action thriller staple and Stallone made a whopping $51 million from the movies - $48 million for the first three and an additional $3 million for Expend4bles, according to Parade and Screen Rant.
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Stallone admits he's questioned himself over whether the stunt was 'really worth' the resultant injury.
The actor resolves: "Are you doing this for people's approval? Really, that's almost like a child needing a pat on their head by their father. That's constant encouragement. But it's true."
Sly was released onto Netflix US on 27 October and Netflix UK on 3 November.
Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV, Health, Mental Health, Sylvester Stallone, Netflix
Poppy Bilderbeck