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Behind Rocky Balboa’s steel-hard physique was a story that was anything but invincible. Sylvester Stallone has revealed that during the height of his fame, his obsession with building the perfect body became dangerously consuming.

In a candid interview with The New York Times, the 80-year-old actor admitted that in the 1980s he abused steroids, struggled with an eating disorder and pushed his body fat percentage to an extremely low level.

“That was my armor,” Stallone explained.

According to the actor, his relationship with his body began to change as his on-screen characters evolved. Rocky looked like an ordinary, physically fit man in the early films, but over time Stallone wanted to make the character more vain and noticeably muscular.

Then came John Rambo — and the physical demands became even more extreme.

“For Rambo, you’re playing a warrior. You become a little more animalistic. I started thinking: make your body like a jaguar, like a cat,” the actor said.

But the pursuit of the perfect physique quickly spiraled out of control.

“And then it became an obsession — a really bad one. It got to the point where I developed bulimia,” Stallone admitted.

While working on Rocky III, the actor drove his body fat percentage down to just 2.6 percent. “I couldn’t keep food in me,” he said.

Stallone also openly acknowledged using steroids while filming the Rocky movies. He said he became so fixated on maintaining peak physical condition that the obsession ultimately took a serious toll on his health.

The actor also said he does not believe claims that a physique of that magnitude can be achieved entirely naturally. “Nobody does this without supplements or drugs, I don’t care what they say… it’s nonsense,” Stallone said.

He explained that maintaining such an extreme physique required more than grueling workouts and a punishing diet.

“If you’re going to work and try to stay in shape for six months straight, eating yogurt and pudding, it’s not going to happen,” the actor said, before emphasizing the need to take breaks.

Today, however, Stallone sees the price of his legendary physique very differently. “I abused my body,” he admitted.

The consequences have been severe and are still being felt decades later. The actor revealed that he has undergone nine back surgeries, two shoulder surgeries and three spinal-fusion procedures on his neck.

“I’m literally held together by wire, but I still want to stay in good shape,” Stallone said.

Today, the actor continues to work on maintaining his physique, but acknowledges that behind the iconic appearance millions of viewers saw on screen lies an enormous price.

“I’m in shape to some degree, but I take a lot of pills just to keep moving. It cost me terribly,” he said.

And if Stallone could go back in time, he would choose a very different path.

“If I could change anything, I’d say: let somebody else carry this banner. Don’t do your own stunts,” the actor admitted.

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