Sylvester Stallone never meant for Rambo to be political

Sylvester Stallone insists he was never interested in stirring up politics with his action classic First Blood.

The actor starred in and co-wrote the screenplay for the 1982 hit First Blood about Vietnam War veteran John Rambo who has to survive using his combat skills against an abusive local police force, and never once considered the film was in any was political.

"I'm almost like a political atheist," he explained during a conversation with Didier Allouch at the Cannes Film Festival to a packed crowd at the Debussy Theatre. "(Rambo) was never supposed to be, by any means, a political statement. It became one. ... I don't think I'm smart enough. That's not my strength. I'm not a political animal. I never have been. I don't want to be. I'm just a storyteller." "But, oh my God, once Reagan said, 'I saw Rambo, and he's a Republican!'," he said while slapping his forehead and dropping the microphone to a laughing audience.

The 72-year-old Rocky legend moved on to reminisce about the more challenging early days in his career as an actor, when he went out for roles with a speech impediment from a childhood accident.

"I knew it was bad when Arnold Schwarzenegger told me, ‘You have an accent.’ I go, ‘Excuse me? I have an accent?’” he laughed, noting he struggled to be hired for role, even his part as the lead in Rocky.

"They would’ve taken a kangaroo — anybody but me (for Rocky)," he said. "I was the 11th choice"

Stallone also admitted he has "a lot of regrets" about some of the films he chose to star in during the 1980s and 90s.

“My daughters go, why did you make this s**t? I go, ‘Come on, how do you think I paid for your school? Shut up. Jesus.’," he laughed.