Dolph Lundgren, famous actor who played Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, talks to Corriere about his past marked by some unpleasant episodes. When he was little, his father and mother abused him, so he decided to become a fighter, to feel stronger than him.
Dolph Lundgrenthe famous American-born Swedish actor who made history with the line “I’ll split you in two“, translated “I’ll split you in two“, in the role of Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, at Corriere he retraced his career by telling unpleasant anecdotes from the past, such as the fight against cancer and his father’s abuse.
The fight against cancer and abuse from his father
Dolph Lundgren revealed last year that he had battled cancer for a long time. He had six tumor masses, one of which was too large to operate on, he said in an interview. In 2022, thanks to therapies, tumors were reduced by 90%. He explained to Corriere: “I fought it for seven years. It taught me things, above all to rethink and love the incredible life I had had up until then, and to love others more. It taught me to be grateful to the talent of the doctors, to my powerful physique thanks to which in some ways I was able to cure myself and to the universe which brought me positive energies. Now I try to be nice to everyone. Cancer has profoundly changed me“. But cancer isn’t the only bad memory he retains. When he was very little his father abused him:
I became an actor for revengeit was a reaction to my father who, physically, from the time I was 4 until I was 13 he committed abuse on me. She also committed them on my mother. So in late adolescence I decided to become a fighter, a fighter and I had good success in karate. I wanted to feel strong so I could protect myself.
The meeting with Stallone and the accident
Dolph Lundgren at the Courier recalled his first meeting with Sylvester Stallone with whom he shared not only the Rocky IV ring battle, but also other sets for The expendables And Creed2. Today they continue to share a friendship: “Now we are great friends, we talk about our daughters and the wounds we have suffered for 40 years in action films. I think I caused a blow to his heart during a fight that forced him to be hospitalized for a week“, the words.
