Sylvester Stallone has admitted that a decade of his career, from 1985 to 1995, is one he wishes he could erase, blaming himself for coasting on autopilot during that period. The actor said he strayed from the writing and directing work that had earlier defined his success, calling it a self-inflicted setback that stalled his creative output at the height of his fame.

Stallone said he was "on cruise control" following the record-breaking success of Rocky IV in 1985, after which a string of poorly received films followed, including Cobra, Over the Top, Rambo III and the McTiernan-directed Rocky V, the latter two of which shelved their respective franchises for years. He praised Clint Eastwood as the actor-director model he wishes he had followed more closely, and pointed to 1997's Cop Land, a critical rather than commercial success, as his real attempt to prove his acting credentials.