Earlier this week, there was an intriguing tease for the sequel to Creed, the Ryan Coogler-directed return to Sylvester Stallone's Rocky franchise. The tease didn't come from a loose-lipped executive, nor was it something from Coogler or Creed star Michael B. Jordan. No, this came from Stallone himself, or rather, his Instagram page, which is one of the greatest things to exist in the digital space.
This wasn't anything new to the almost four million followers Stallone has amassed on his Instagram page since he joined on March 25, 2015, which was also the last day of filming for Creed. Stallone, who is most known for playing Rocky Balboa, Rambo, and the Expendables series, had decades of Hollywood experience, writing and directing a number of the films in the three aforementioned franchises. With that experience comes a wealth of history, which Stallone is up for sharing on the regular.
The key to Stallone's IG is that it doesn't feel like some normal Hollywood fakery, like "here are some shots on the set because I need to promote like everyone else." Stallone utilizes his IG more like someone who just does super dope shit, and is sharing it like a normal human being, albeit one who's an OG with a sense of humor. Like this time he lowkey clowned Ryan Coogler, who couldn't find Stallone when he was legit in front of his face.
Stallone's also one of the few people who'd have access to a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes Rocky photos, and the clout to share them with the public without looking like a super herb. Even his mispellings are charming!
Stallone's not just on the 'gram showing love to what made him famous, though. He's a family man, and loves showing off his daughters.
He also randomly chills with DJ Khaled and Chris Rock?
There's also that time he may have Photoshopped a cigar into his mouth during a gym visit.
It's hard to tell if Stallone got his insane Instagram ways from the amazing Michael Rooker or if Stallone put Rooker onto the game, but peep how the vets are in this shot with their phones out while fellow Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 cast member Chris Pratt is phoneless and chilling.
Stallone's prowess should be seen as a highwater mark for other celebrities to achieve. There's a simple balance of "real life" Stallone lounging with his squad and promotion Stallone, giving people a peak into his forthcoming projects. For most Hollywood stars, you get the sense that they're using social media because someone much younger than them told them to. Perusing Stallone's feed feels more like he happened upon the platform one day, instantly "got it," and decided to be his entire self on the 'gram.
Part of that might be due to Stallone turning 71; he's more than likely run out of fucks to give. The flipside might just be that he's genuinely as awesome as many of us assumed he was, and he now has a social media platform that can showcase this to the world. If you haven't been up on Stallone's Instagram insanity, now's the time to get familiar.
