Sylvester Stallone showered in his clothes to survive before ‘Rocky’ fame - Page Six

Sylvester Stallone joins Fox & Friends to discuss his new memoir, The Steps, opening up about his difficult upbringing, the lessons it taught him as a father and the personal experiences that inspired Rocky.

Before Sylvester Stallone became one of Hollywood's biggest stars, he had just $60 to his name — with $43.60 already set aside for rent. But even as he struggled to make ends meet in New York City, the future "Rocky" icon refused to give up on his dream.

In his new memoir, "The Steps," Stallone recounts the years before fame, including his arrival in New York City in 1969, determined to become an actor despite poverty, rejection and uncertainty.

The 80-year-old told Fox News Digital that even in his darkest moments, he held on to the belief that his life would eventually change for the better.

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"The Steps: A Memoir" by Sylvester Stallone is out now. (William Morrow)

"I think it comes from naïveté and the folly of youth, that you still have this sense of, 'I can do it, I can break the mold,'" Stallone said. "I hadn't been beaten enough by life yet to say it's over because, as an actor, if you haven't made it by 30, I'd say 99% you're never going to make it. I wasn't aware of that, so I kept going."

Sylvester Stallone has written a new memoir, "The Steps: A Memoir." (2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC)

" In New York, when I was really down and out, I didn't focus on, 'God, you're going to be destitute,'" Stallone said. "There was this certain optimism that if you put every effort forward, if you denied yourself every moment of pleasure of going to the movies, dating a girl — if you abandoned all that and dedicate yourself, I believe that you'll know 100% whether you actually have a chance to be this character you always wished you could be."

Stallone never stopped believing he would one day make it as an actor.

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After leaving the American College in Switzerland without graduating and dropping out of the University of Miami just a few credits shy of a drama degree, Stallone returned to New York City with little to his name. He rented a room so cramped that he later compared it to the minimum size recommended for a federal jail cell. He shared a bathroom with 10 other people.

Stallone also found work as an usher at a movie theater, earning just $34 a week. He said the job became an education in filmmaking. Night after night, he studied the movies he watched, keeping his dream alive.

Sylvester Stallone is seen here in New York City. (Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Stallone said he would shower with his clothes on to save money on laundry. If he were lucky enough to find a bar of soap that didn't have a "strange hair" stuck to it, he would use it to lather up "my shirt, pants, underwear, socks — and myself."

Sylvester Stallone is seen here on Jan. 12, 1979. (Getty Images)

"I could never afford to go to a laundromat," Stallone said. "My wife thinks this is so gross, 'Why would you take a shower with your clothes on?' I said, 'It made sense to me at the time, rather than going down to the laundromat. But this was a tenement home. It was so bad. But you do what you could to survive.'"

To stave off hunger, Stallone would eat spoonfuls of cottage cheese, then down three or four raw eggs. In the book, he recalled later treating himself to chicken breast and apple juice.

Sylvester Stallone speaks onstage during "Sylvester Stallone In Conversation with Tracy Smith: The Steps" at 92NY on Sept. 28, 2026, in New York City. (Getty Images)

"It's the only thing that made sense numerically, financially," he said. "Of course, it's all wrong. It's terrible. I'm surprised I didn't get salmonella, really. It's really quite remarkable. But these two things at a certain time of year, because in the summer, the cottage cheese would rot, and the eggs would spoil.

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American actor Sylvester Stallone strikes at a punching bag in a boxing ring while his coach, Burgess Meredith (1908-1997), watches during training at a gymnasium in a still from the movie, "Rocky." (United Artists/Courtesy of Getty Images)