Encouraging the Female Heart

I was surfing the Internet for some recent news updates on the upcoming movie ‘Rocky Balboa’, the 6th & final blockbuster movie of the whole series of Rocky movies, I stumbled upon this website which kind-of surprised me.

This website relates an interview with Talia Shire, who played Rocky’s girlfriend then later wife in the Rocky movies.

I had always thought that ‘Rocky’ movies were for men, to give them a boost in their confidence towards themselves in striving towards their goals in life. Never had I expected that ‘Rocky’ warms & encourages the hearts of young women out there too!

For those who need a left hook to jar their memory, the film is about the plight of Rocky Balboa (Stallone), a thug-turned-boxer who defies all odds in his quest for the heavyweight championship. The film co-stars Shire as Adrian, a shopkeeper racked by low self-esteem, until Rocky brings love into her life for the very first time.

Here is how Talia Shire describes her experience when she first met Sylvester Stallone –

"Even though I read the piece beforehand, I was not prepared for the man, who was absolutely larger than life -- that scale, that size, that energy and wit -- and he was coming in the door backwards."

And this is the most fascinating part –

“And while she's maintained that connection with Stallone over all the intervening years, she's thrilled that audience members still maintain a connection with Adrian. The character to this day inspires people with low self-esteem to break out of their shells, and people approach Shire in public to thank her for it.”

"It happens all the time, and with both men and women," Shire said. "Many young girls too. I can't tell you how many (who have come up to me) who have felt unloved, rejected or not up to the ideal standards.”

"Especially today, there is so much pressure for women to look a certain way, and Adrian comes out of nowhere and is transformed by love through love. Rocky sees her in a certain way, and that has a great meaning for young girls."