“I’ve never been so scared in my life”: Even the Rambo Sylvester Stallone Was Afraid for His Life During This Helicopter Stunt

Sylvester Stallone cemented his place among Hollywood’s top action stars with his breakthrough with the Rocky and Rambo franchises. Although his breakthrough was the result of years of struggle, he has overcome all odds to achieve the success he enjoys today. Considering he has delivered outstanding action scenes, many often forget that he is also afraid of something just like us. In a 1980 interview, the action star admitted that he feared for his life during a helicopter stunt he was filming for Nighthawks. While filming the helicopter stunt scene in Nighthawks (1981), Sylvester Stallone was suspended from a helicopter by a 1/8-inch steel cable, dangling 247 feet above the East River in New York City. During the scene, he had to get into the cable car halfway, but he was afraid for his life, one of the reasons being his fear of heights.