Sylvester Stallone broke neck while filming The Expendables
Stallone stars in upcoming action
film The Expendables, which boasts some of the acting world's
biggest tough guys, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis,
Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke and British actor Jason Statham.
The 63-year-old said a fight scene
with wrestling star Stone Cold Steve Austin became so ''vicious''
that he needed an operation for a hairline fracture and had
a metal plate inserted in his neck.
Stallone, a writer and director
on the testosterone-charged movie, told this month's FHM Magazine:
''Man, it was seven guys, kicking each other's ass, one guy
tougher than the next.
''No joke, our stunt guys were
begging for mercy.
''Actually, my fight with Stone
Cold Steve Austin was so vicious that I ended up getting a hairline
fracture in my neck. I'm not joking. I haven't told anyone this,
but I had to have a very serious operation afterwards.
''I now have a metal plate in
my neck.''
The film centres around a team
of mercenaries who embark on a mission to overthrow a dictator.
It also features actress Brittany
Murphy, who died last month after collapsing at home.
Stallone previously starred with
Lundgren in Rocky IV - when he also suffered similar injuries.
He told the magazine: ''Dolph
Lundgren and I always went for it.
''I gave him orders to try to
knock me out while the cameras were rolling.
''At one point, he hit me so hard
on the top of the head I felt my spine compress.
''He then hit me with an almighty
uppercut.
''That night my chest and heart
started to swell, and I had to be helicopter-ambulanced from
my hotel to a nearby emergency room.
''I was told that Dolph had punched
my rib cage into my chest, compressing my heart.
''If it had swollen any more,
I would have died. After that, I was like, 'Dolph, it's only
a movie, bro...'''
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