'That was a hard lesson to learn': Sylvester Stallone calls almost divorcing Jennifer Flavin his 'reawakening'
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Sylvester Stallone discussed his marriage to businesswoman Jennifer Flavin and revealed that it was a "tumultuous time" in his life when he nearly divorced her in an interview recently. The 76-year-old actor addressed the couple's brief separation in August after 25 years of marriage with the Sunday Times before they decided against divorce one month later.
Prior to their reconciliation in September, Flavin, 54, and Stallone were "amicably and privately addressing these personal issues" when the former filed for divorce from the actor in August. Two weeks after the couple announced that they won't go ahead with the divorce, they were spotted together in New York City on October 7, 2022. They were seen meeting up with Leonardo DiCaprio and his father during one outing while they were wearing their wedding bands, according to a report by People.
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"Let's just say that it was a very tumultuous time," Stallone said of the brief separation to Sunday Times. "There was a reawakening of what was more valuable than anything, which is my love for my family. It takes precedence over my work, and that was a hard lesson to learn," he added.
'The Suicide Squad' actor has five kids. Sons Sage and Seargeoh from his first marriage to actress Sasha Czack. Then he and Flavin have three daughters together -- Sophia, 26, Sistine, 24, and Scarlet, 20. Stallone spoke on the lessons he has learned about being a part of a family, and particularly fatherhood, in his recent interview with the Sunday Times. "I didn't pay enough attention when they were growing up," he shared, adding, "I was so career-oriented, and now I go, 'OK, I don't have that much runway up ahead, and I want to start asking them about their lives.'"
Stallone said that he is currently making up for missed time and is becoming a little more involved with his daughters. "I ask them about their day, and they started at first a little monosyllabic," he said. "Then I heard one say, 'I was just thinking about you.' Oh, my God. I've never heard that before in my life. When a daughter knows you care, she's there forever."
Stallone also discussed his television debut 'Tulsa King' which he produced and stars in as Dwight "The General" Manfredi, a man who has served 25 years in prison for murdering his boss. He said that he even got to spend some time with his eldest daughter in Brooklyn while filming 'Tulsa King' in May 2022.
The role comes after he played an ex-vigilante seeking justice in the Amazon Prime Video movie 'Samaritan'. He portrayed the role of Mr Smith, the "mysterious and reclusive neighbor" of 13-year-old Sam Cleary. The teenager tries to persuade Stallone's character to stop being a recluse after growing suspicious that he is actually a "superpowered vigilante."
Despite the numerous surgeries that he's had to recover from over the years, Stallone is still a supporter of working out. He told the Times that action movies "changed radically when it became possible to Velcro your muscles on." He said, "Don't do your own stunts, that's the moral of that. But the special effects became more important than the person. Life is a matter of managing your ass-whipping. That's why I've always been a fan of defeated fighters. The undefeated boxer? I'm not interested."