Sylvester Stallone Says Money Doesn't Buy Happiness—'There Are Complications'

You may have more in common with Sylvester Stallone than you realize...

That's what Sly himself wants audiences to take away after watching his new Paramount+ reality show, The Family Stallone.

The screen legend, who recently threw his weight behind the ongoing writers' strike, spoke to Newsweek alongside his wife and daughters who appear with him in the show.

Despite carrying a famous name, being "blessed financially," and having celebrity friends, the family told Newsweek that they're the same as the the rest of us.

Relatable Reality Stars

While the Stallones are successful individuals, viewers of reality shows will know that those with extraordinary lives are relatable at their core.

While Sylvester of course needs no introduction, Jennifer Flavin is a former model and entrepreneur, daughter Sistine is an actress, and she also hosts a successful podcast, Unwaxed, alongside sister Sophia.

Despite all of this, the patriarch of the family thinks there's not much that sets them apart from everyone else.

"Obviously our lifestyle. We've been very blessed, you know, financially, but we still have the same situations that people who don't have what we have," Sylvester told Newsweek. "I try to incorporate that in every film, like a Rocky or whatever. When you think you have it all together—you don't."

He continued, "We may have the trappings of wealth, but the emotional aspect is like, 'sharper than a Serpent's tooth is an ungrateful child,'" Stallone said, referencing William Shakespeare's line from King Lear. In context, the line is spoken by King Lear referring to his "thankless" daughter.

"I've been so blessed with this but there are complications at times. They get their life, they have situations they've gone through in their lives and some of them have been pretty traumatic," he said.

"So basically," daughter Scarlet interjects, "the answer is nothing. There's nothing that makes us different."

"That's the key thing. I don't care how rich you are or whatever, you don't escape the realities of life. Period. It catches up with everybody," Sylvester said.

Sylvester's Motivation for 'The Family Stallone'

A first for the Oscar-nominated Stallone, he fronts The Family Stallone which launches on Paramount+ on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. In Episode 1, he tells the camera that a core motivation behind his involvement is getting to spend more time with his family.

While Sylvester has appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows, his wife, Jennifer Flavin Stallone, and their daughters Sophia Stallone, Sistine Stallone, and Scarlet Stallone, are Sylvester's co-stars on this project.

"My friends always told me that my parents give the best advice to them, and now having it aired, it actually makes me really happy," eldest daughter Sophia told Newsweek.

Early episodes of The Family Stallone show Sylvester taking his daughter Sophia aside to share his wisdom when it comes to dealing with a rocky relationship.

"It makes me really happy that you guys get to have an inside look on things that I get to hear every single day. I'm always going to them for advice and always wanting their opinion, and they really do give you golden nuggets to live on.

"As much as it's different for us to do the show, it was really exciting that people get to experience that for themselves," Sophia said.

The Family Stallone launches on Paramount+ on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.