Stephen Stallone’s Journey into Acting, Personal Struggles, and Artistic Process
Stephen Stallone’s journey into the world of acting wasn’t a conventional one. Raised in a household that prioritised academia, his passion for the performing arts initially took a backseat to his family’s expectations. However, after finishing university, he embarked on a soul-searching journey across different continents. It was during this period of exploration that he decided to take the leap and pursue acting, despite feeling that he might have started a bit later than most. “I’ve always been interested in acting, but I never pursued it until later in my twenties,” Stephen Stallone reflects, recounting how his initial exposure to the entertainment industry came through a role at MTV. From there, doors began to open, leading him to auditions and eventually drama school, an experience that revealed his true passion and talent for the craft.
FAB: What sparked your interest in acting? What’s your story?
Stephen Stallone: When I was growing up, I was a very musical kid. I used to do a lot of music in school. Believe it or not, I used to sing years ago. Now I am into acting. My dad was very academic; he was always very concerned about me getting my degree, whether I was a lawyer or a doctor. I kind of left that behind because that was his dream. My dad is from Jamaica, and my mom is from Trinidad, so they are both very western in their cultures. I went to the university, and when I finished, I decided to go travelling. I travelled around Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. When I got back, I thought, “Let’s do this.” I’ve always been interested in acting, but I never pursued it. I decided to get into it. It is more or less MTV. I used to work for the MTV channel in London, UK. I managed to get a job there as a freelancer working for their Media Operations team across the Europe Music Awards and later a guest spot as an MTV VJ/Presenter, and from there, I got an agent, and I started getting requests for castings and auditions, but I had not gone to drama school at the time. My agent suggested that I attend drama school. She managed to get me an audition at a drama school, and I got in. I kind of discovered this path a little bit late. I didn’t start until I was in my early twenties.
FAB: How did your parents respond to your pursuit of acting?
Stephen Stallone: My mom was very much into it. They have both passed away now. My dad passed away from cancer in 2012. My mom also passed away from cancer. They both did it within a year of each other. With the journey itself, that’s another story. My mom was pretty into it. She encouraged me to fulfil my dreams and follow my passion, as long as it fulfiled me and made me happy. My dad was the more prominent voice in terms of making sure I got a degree and that I became a lawyer, doctor, or engineer. There was that conflict there.
FAB: With your father’s voice in your head, how do you handle setbacks or rejections in your acting career? What have these experiences taught you about resilience in this field?
Stephen Stallone: I’ve always been a resilient person; I’ve always made my own choices. Like I was saying before, after university, I decided to go travelling for a year. It’s so personal. I’ve always been a vocal person. In terms of hearing the voice in my head, before my dad passed, I started doing a bit of radio. I got onto a local London station, Westside 89.6 FM, and he was around when that was happening. He knew that was my journey. I remember at some point he said, “Okay, this is exciting.” He didn’t really know much about the entertainment world, but he did say it was exciting, and it seemed like I was doing well and that what I was doing was good for me. He saw that I was happy. There was an element of him knowing that, but obviously he didn’t get the acting vibe.
Getting into the rejection part, I think you get used to understanding that that’s the nature of things. First of all, it’s so competitive. There are so many people per agency auditioning for one role. It ultimately comes down to the directors, producers, and casting team. Sometimes, it’s not your fault; it’s just that you just don’t fit that role, or you might not fit that well into what the production team is trying to create, or it might not just be a personal choice of the casting director. There are just so many variables that you don’t have control over. I believe thinking like that and knowing that helps a lot.
Balancing Privacy and Public Engagement
Stephen Stallone: For me, I am pretty much an open book, but I have learned to make sure to have my own personal life. I’ve got a kid, and I am married now as well. I married a few years ago. I also have a 16-year-old cat named Fernando, whom I dote on and treat like my firstborn (seriously, I do). A lot of this I don’t put on my social media because I know that my audience and people who follow me are not necessarily looking for it. I think they are more interested in the films I’ve done, the commercials, and my journey. It’s more healthy to have that for yourself. I feel like when you’re an actor or someone in the public eye, you can put so much of yourself out there that there is just a little left for you. I tend to pull back from putting everything out there. I am also very aware that casting directors look at your social media. I’ve even booked productions off being contacted through my social media, so I know that it is useful.
Stephen Stallone on the Emotional Toll of Acting
FAB: How do you disconnect from a character’s emotions after an emotionally demanding role?
Stephen Stallone: It’s definitely a process; it’s something I learned from drama school. We were taught a number of techniques that enable you to bring out a character’s emotions but then leave them behind when it’s time. It’s not an easy process. I can understand why there’s a lot around self-care and adopting a methodology or technique such as meditation or other activity after you’ve done a role to try and get yourself out of it.
There are a lot of artists who have had downfalls from not being able to disconnect from their characters. It’s definitely easily done, but there are a lot of techniques, from Stanislavsky to Chekhov, that you can adopt. From my end, what I do is delve into the character and try to… I am someone who creates a world and tries to believe that the situation the character is going through is true to them in that imaginary circumstance, but then I take myself out of the character once the show or production is finished. I try to draw a line.
Sometimes, there’s an energy that’s hard to get rid of. If you’re playing a very deep role that’s very emotional, that’s a lot of energy to disperse. I found doing things like going swimming, going for a run, or any form of exercise helpful to get rid of that excess energy. Sometimes, I’ve played roles that had my partner asking if I’m okay because I’d look really upset or withdrawn. Then I’d tell her I’m fine, and it’s just something that I had been shooting and filming that day. I found that quite difficult when I was doing theatre, especially when you finish a show quite late and then have to go to sleep to wake up the next day for the next show. I know a lot of musicians and artists have the same thing. Michael Jackson talked about the same thing. The big ones talk about it, and Jamie Fox talks about it as well. Heath Ledger had these issues as well. You know the whole issue about switching from an emotion and going back to what you were before. Heath Ledger was someone in the public eye who had a really hard time switching back once he played Joker. The energy has to go somewhere, right? It can be quite difficult.
FAB: So you think there are still roles that demand method acting? Is it a worthwhile approach?
Stephen Stallone: I feel like there are roles that require methodical acting. I think it depends on what works for you. I feel like I adopted a way and a style of working and was able to tap into an emotion. I also feel like other actors work differently. Method acting is very intense and very demanding on you, both physically and mentally. It entails you becoming that person and carrying that person through. Kate Winslet has talked about it as well; she has talked about her latest film, where she was method acting. She didn’t go home for months. She decided to be on set for three months because she didn’t want to bring the character she was playing home to her family. As a method actor, it’s hard to switch in and out of a character all the way through. For me, it’s not the method I have adopted so far; the demand is quite heavy, but sometimes you get a role and you end up working with a director who wants you to adopt this as their way of working. I haven’t had that yet, but who knows? It might happen in the future.
FAB: Are there any actors or directors whose works have particularly inspired or influenced your approach to acting?
Stephen Stallone: There are so many directors; there are a lot of people I love. There’s Steven Spielberg; I grew up loving his films; Martin Scorsese as well; and Spike Lee is also a genius with what he does. There are so many of them. Personally, growing up, I loved horror films, so I really love Wes Craven; he’s always been one of my favourites. If you go to the general directors who I love the most, I love John Hughes as well. It’s really hard to say; I don’t have a specific one. There are quite a few of them that I love. My top two would have to be… I’ll come back to it.
Advocating for Representation
FAB: Your thoughts on the current state of diversity and representation in media?
Stephen Stallone: It’s definitely changing. It’s been a very slow and gradual change, and it’s one of the reasons why I do what I do as well. Even as a newcomer, I got sent a message via Instagram from a mom saying she’s seen what I’ve done and she loves it, and so does her seven-year-old son, which was really moving. It’s so nice to be able to offer representation to the next generation. For me, it is a massive thing. It’s definitely changing. Events like George Floyd and black lives matter situations have definitely made a difference. Representation has gotten better, but there’s still a long way to go. It’s a change that not everyone wants, but it has to happen. There’s still a lot of people high up who still want things to remain a certain way, but I feel like things are slowly changing.
Stephen Stallone: To be honest, I’ve got a close relationship with my agent in the UK. As far as I know, from my end, I hardly have that experience, but I do know that it is definitely something that’s an issue still with my people of colour—not always getting the royalty that they should get against other ethnicities. It is sad that, in this day and age, it’s still something we need to fight for. I know it happens, but it’s not something I have a huge amount of control over. I am very transparent with my management team, especially in the US, when it comes to rates I should be entitled to. When I started with them in January, they asked me what I wanted, and I told them.
I was transparent about saying what I wanted in terms of roles as a black person or someone of colour. I need to have roles I’m invested in. I need to have roles that are layered and that I feel would go to anyone, regardless of their colour. In terms of payment, I am also very transparent. I like to see my breakdown and what the rates are. Really, it’s something we’ll have to continue to fight for. It’s sad that it’s 2023 and it’s still happening. With these voices speaking out, especially Taraji P. Henson most recently, I think that’s a good thing. There’s definitely a lot more discussion around it; more people are speaking out about how they feel, and I think that’s important. Stay up to date on the newest in the world of Fashion, Arts, Beauty and Lifestyle; Follow FAB on Instagram.
FAB: In your opinion, what’s the most misunderstood aspect of the acting profession, and what would you like people to understand better about it?
Stephen Stallone: I think the glamorous part. People assume that it’s so glamorous. Don’t get me wrong, it can be amazing. I love what I do, and I do love it, but people also don’t always see that there’s a lot of work that goes into it. You have to sit for hours for your makeup, learn your lines, be very agile, and be very much in the moment. You have to say yes a lot. That’s an aspect. I talk to some of my friends, and they are like, “Oh my God, that’s amazing.” It is, but they don’t see what it demands—all of the auditions and casting. People see the tip of the iceberg, people see the glamour of it, but they don’t see what goes in—having to learn lines till 3 o’clock in the morning and then you’re back on set the next day past 8 p.m., or doing ten to twenty auditions a week, having to learn lines for each one without guarantee that you’ll get booked. That’s a lot of investment. It’s not like going for a job in an office where you’re guaranteed to get it without constantly having to do an interview every day. You have to be very thick-skinned here.
Beauty Tips from Stephen Stallone for Men
Moisturise twice a day or at least once in the morning. Use a face cleanser if you can, at least once a week. Always carry an aftershave with you; you never know who you’re going to meet. Keep fit; even if you can’t get to the gym, just keep moving; you only get one body.
Fun Zone: #FABFastFive
- FAB: Summer or winter?
Stephen Stallone: Summer
- FAB: Chocolate or ice cream
Stephen Stallone: Chocolate
- FAB: Music or Movies
Stephen Stallone: Both
- FAB: If you had a place you could travel to spend all the days of your life, where would it be?
Stephen Stallone: Mauritius
- FAB: What do you do during your leisure time?
Stephen Stallone: I get invited to a lot of events, including London Fashion Week, film screenings, and music festivals in the summer. I train a lot, really, and I love keeping fit, so I do swimming, running, callisthenics, ring work at the gym using body weight, and of course spending time with my little one, my partner, and of course travelling whenever theres time.
Stephen can be seen playing ‘Robert’ in his latest comedy movie, ‘Just Say Yes’, currently available on Amazon Prime.
