The actor followed her instruction… for the most part, at least.
Being naturally protective of the franchise he pioneered, Sylvester Stallone was “dead set against” reviving it with Creed, telling The Los Angeles Times he never envisioned his most famous character in the way the film depicts him.
However, three people were responsible for Sly’s reconsideration: director Ryan Coogler’s aforementioned personal story, his agent calling him chicken “for a guy who played Rocky,” and his wife, Jennifer Flavin, who encouraged him to take on the challenges the movie had in store for the role and not try to change the story, according to an interview with Deadline.