Los Angeles, Nov 8 (IANS) Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone has shared that Pele broke his finger when they made the war-sport film ‘Escape to Victory’.

The two played Corporal Luis Fernandez and Captain Robert Hatch, respectively, in the 1981 sports-war film.

The film which saw an exhibition football match played between a German team and Allied prisoners of war interned in a German prison camp during World War 2. While filming, the late football legend asked the Hollywood star to stand in goal as he demonstrated how to strike a ball.

However, the actor completely misread the situation as he underestimated the force of Pele’s shot and the weight of the thick, heavy leather ball, which caused him a painful injury.

The actor recently appeared on the latest episode of ‘The Rest Is Entertainment’ podcast, where the show host Marina Hyde, 52, asked the actor how much he knew about football before working on ‘Escape to Victory’. The actor shared that he knew nothing about the sport and that he “learned the hard way”.

He said, “Pele broke my finger in that thing. Soccer didn’t look so hard, and in World War 2, the balls were like bowling balls. They’re smaller, thick, brown leather. And it was steel toe shoes. Can you imagine? And so he goes, ‘Sly, why don’t you get into the goal? I’m going to tell you exactly where I’m going to hit, like right there. You stand there and you won’t even see it’. I go, ‘Pssh, try your best’. And he goes back, and he kicks it, and I hear a sound, and I put my hands up. God damn”.

Sylvester soon realised the incredible talent of his co-star, as he said, “And there was an old World War II net. So it tears through the net, and we have prisoner of war bunkers with a metal grate over the window. Bang. Broke the windows. “That’s the power of his (kick). That’s how good he was”.

Elsewhere, Sylvester recently revealed he made millions from investing in art back in the 1980s. The ‘Rocky’ legend has revealed his biggest paydays have come from his art collection instead of his movie career, as he was able to spend his Hollywood earnings on paintings 40 years ago.

–IANS

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