Sylvester Stallone turned to steroids in a bid to evolve the character of Rocky Balboa.
The 80-year-old actor began playing the iconic film character in mid-1970s but Stallone wanted the fictitious boxer to develop for Rocky III, which was released in 1982.
Speaking at New York 92nd Street Y, Stallone shared: "By the time they did Rocky III, you’ve lost the element of surprise. Everyone knows what this guy is all about.
"I wanted him to develop serious narcissism. I wanted him to get his scars removed and be a totally different guy. That would be a story point. He became protected, he’s shielded and vain. And when he finally met Mr. T, or Clubber Lang, that’s where reality hit him.
"But to do that, I had to do a total body metamorphosis. So I went from like 50 percent body fat to 2.6 percent. I did it literally by eating tuna fish and [drinking] maybe 30 cups of coffee a day. And, of course, there’s steroids."
Stallone explained that steroid use is more common in Hollywood than people realise.
He said: "Guys … you really think these guys are natural?
"If you’re trying to play a sort of superhero or a person that is above and beyond a normal guy, you can’t do it. It’s almost like putting on part of a costume. For six to eight weeks, you manifest that book. And then you shed it."
Meanwhile, Stallone recently admitted to developing an unhealthy obsession with his appearance during his younger years.
The movie star told The Hollywood Reporter: "It became very intimate, you might say. It was my armour.
"I looked at Rocky: very smooth, very normal-looking guy. And then I said, I think the character would start to become a bit more vain. And then in Rambo, you’re playing a warrior, so you’d be a little bit more animalistic. You wouldn’t be so smooth.
"I started to think: Design your body like a jaguar, a cat. Not big like Arnold [Schwarzenegger], but more feral and aggressive and very limber and athletic."
Stallone's obsession eventually led to him developing bulimia while filming Rocky III.
The actor explained: "It became an obsession. Really bad.
"It got to the point where I became bulimic. You heard it here first.
"I got down to 2.6 percent body fat when I was doing Rocky III, and I couldn’t hold anything down. Or I didn’t want to keep it down because I became so obsessed with staying at that point of fitness, literally an obsessive body-worship kind of thing. And nobody does it without additives and drugs, period. I don’t care what they say."
