Peter Farrelly’s I Play Rocky tells that true underdog story, with Anthony Ippolito as a young Stallone who refuses to sell his screenplay unless he plays the lead. Two of the people who helped make that happen were producer Irwin Winkler, played by P.J. Byrne, and director John G. Avildsen, who would win the Oscar for Best Director for Rocky, played by Jay Duplass.

Because before Rocky Balboa ever ran up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a struggling young actor named Sylvester Stallone had to win a fight just as hard: convincing Hollywood to let him star in the script he wrote. 

The Synopsis

The film is an electrifying true story about an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky—he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. Told “no” at every turn, Sylvester Stallone bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie.

Born in Maplewood, New Jersey, P.J. Byrne studied finance and theater at Boston College before earning his MFA in acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University. He’s best known for playing Nicky “Rugrat” Koskoff in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, and his film credits also include Horrible Bosses, Final Destination 5, The Campaign and Rampage. On television, he played Adam Bourke on The Boys, starred in HBO’s Vinyl, and currently stars as Deck Shifflet in The Rainmaker. Animation fans know him as the voice of the lovable earthbender Bolin in The Legend of Korra. Next week he will be seen on Netflix’s Bad Day with Mark Duplass and Cameron Diaz. 

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New Orleans native Jay Duplass helped define modern independent filmmaking alongside his brother Mark Duplass. Under Duplass Brothers Productions, the pair have written and directed several projects like The Puffy Chair, Safety Not Guaranteed, and Blue Jay. Duplass found a second career in front of the camera as Josh Pfefferman on Transparent, a role that earned him a Critics’ Choice nomination. He has since appeared in The Mindy Project, Search Party, Industry, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Behind the camera, he wrote and directed The Baltimorons and directed episodes of Somebody Somewhere. 

I was connected with P.J. Byrne Byrne and Jay Duplass via Zoom during the press day of I Play Rocky. They discussed stepping into the shoes of the men behind one of cinema’s greatest underdog stories. In addition to their thoughts and appreciation of the classic Rocky and more!

I Play Rocky opens in select theaters on November 6, 2026, and expands nationwide on November 20, 2026. 

Source: LRMExclusive, Amazon MGM Studios

About Amazon MGM Studios: Amazon MGM (Metro Goldwyn Mayer) is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and television content across all platforms. The company owns one of the world’s deepest libraries of premium film and television content as well as the premium pay television network MGM+, which is available throughout the U.S. via cable, satellite, telco and digital distributors.  In addition, Amazon MGM has investments in numerous other television channels, digital platforms and interactive ventures and is producing premium short-form content for distribution.