A real-life boxer almost played Apollo Creed in Rocky. Instead, the iconic movie role went to Carl Weathers. After fighting the titular hero at the end of the movie, Weathers reprised the role in three more films. Weathers’ last appearance as the character came in Rocky IV, where he died at the hands of the movie’s villain, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).
It’s no secret that Rocky – a story written by then-unknown Sylvester Stallone -- didn’t come together as the producers and the studio originally envisioned. The idea of an underdog hero and a seemingly mediocre boxer rising up and giving the heavyweight champion the fight of his life appealed to directors and producers, but their plan for how it would work on the big screen differed from Stallone’s. Originally, they wanted an established Hollywood A-lister like Burt Reynolds or James Caan to take the part, but Stallone refused to relent and eventually got his way. Interestingly enough, Rocky Balboa wasn’t the only major character in the movie who was almost played by a different actor.
Prior to the casting of Weathers, it was decided that Apollo Creed should be played by a real-life boxer. The role of Rocky's opponent was to go to Ken Norton, a legendary boxer with a rich history in the sport that includes multiple heavyweight championships [via EW]. During his storied career in the ring, Norton famously fought Muhammad Ali a total of three times, with his first two matches ending in losses by split decisions. The third match, on the other hand, ended with a victory (and a championship) for Norton. Nicknamed “The Black Hercules”, Norton retired in 1981 with an impressive 42-7-1 record.
For the studio, casting Norton made sense, even though he had no real acting experience. Norton’s boxing career and reputation mirrored what they trying to create with Apollo. Apollo was the current heavyweight champion in Rocky and Norton was one of the biggest names in the sport when the movie was released. The resemblance between their lives and careers was so strong that some believe Apollo was partially based on Norton.
For a reason that remains unclear, Norton backed out of Rocky when it was close to production, thus forcing the studio to immediately find a replacement. During the audition process for Rocky’s new Apollo Creed, they settled on Weathers, a former Oakland Raiders football player who had a few small roles in movies and guest appearances in TV shows. Weathers inadvertently earned the role when he insulted Stallone during his audition. Apparently, his attitude made Stallone realize that he was the right fit for the character [via THR]. His performances in the first four Rocky movies and the legacy Weathers’ Apollo Creed left behind in the Rocky franchise demonstrated that while Norton was an accurate real-life representation of the character, Weathers was in fact the perfect choice for the role on the big screen.
