Sylvester Stallone became one of the biggest box office draws and action movie icons the hard way, by doing his own stunts.
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Although he took pride in his work, Stallone called himself an "idiot" for putting himself through such an immense physical toll and told Fox News Digital that doing stunt work is among the "millions" of career regrets he has.
"Millions, millions of regrets. I could literally spend a half hour talking about injuries. The amount, not even like one, I'm talking about 30 hours, 30 minutes of just individual ones. Because it becomes compounded,
the "Tulsa King" star said.
"I have been injured many, many times, but after 'Expendables,' I ended up with nine back operations, three neck fusions. Both shoulders ripped out, eye, you know, all kinds of lens put ... it's been brutal."
Stallone revealed that, even after nine back procedures, he lives in a constant state of pain.
"Now you have to like make peace with the pain as much as you can," he said.
The "Rocky" star said that, if he could do it all again, he would let others perform his stunt work instead of overexerting himself.
"Don't be a stage hawk, or whatever you call it, a showboat. I know a lot of people are thinking about doing stunts ... don't. Don't. Let the pro do it," Stallone said. "Let me explain something, you cannot beat gravity. When you hit the ground, you lose, and it's going to come back."
He added, "I mean, just ask every football player in the world. So yeah, that and people go, 'Aren't you proud of them?' No. I think I'm an idiot for doing that. I'm proud that I broke myself in pieces. Like, duh, no."
Last month, Stallone opened up about the extreme lengths he went to to attain his hulking physique early in his career.
In an interview with New York Times, Stallone revealed that he abused steroids and developed an eating disorder in the 1980s.
"I became so obsessed with staying at that point of fitness ... it got to me," he said of his steroid abuse.
"Nobody does it without additives or drugs. I don't care what they say. Bulls---."
Stallone said that, even after undergoing a dozen-plus surgeries, he stills desires to stay fit.
"I'm held together with baling wire. But I still have the want to stay in good shape," he told New York Times.
