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.SYLVESTER STALLONE'S ADVICE TO THOSE WHO ARE STRUGGLING 50 YEARS AFTER 'ROCKY' CHANGED HIS LIFEFox News may be compensated for or earn a commission if you buy through our referral links."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.WATCH: SYLVESTER STALLONE REFLECTS ON CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, ‘ROCKY’ AND WHY ‘TRYING’ MATTERS MOSTAfter leaving the American College in Switzerland without graduating and dropping out ...