Sylvester Stallone is opening up about his marriage to Jennifer Flavin, and how their brief split was a "tumultuous time" in his life.
Stallone, 76, spoke with the Sunday Times about the couple's August split after 25 years of marriage, before they called off their divorce just a month later.
"Let's just say that it was a very tumultuous time," Stallone said. "There was a reawakening of what was more valuable than anything, which is my love for my family. It takes precedence over my work, and that was a hard lesson to learn."
When Flavin, 54, filed for divorce from Stallone in August, Stallone said in a statement they were "amicably and privately addressing these personal issues," before PEOPLE confirmed in September that Flavin and Stallone reconciled. They've since been spotted in New York City on Oct. 7, two weeks after they announced the divorce wasn't happening, as they were seen enjoying the city. One outing saw them meet up with Leonardo DiCaprio and his father, as they wore their wedding rings.
The Rocky actor has five children. Sons Sage and Seargeoh are from his first marriage with actress Sasha Czack. He then shares daughters Sophia, 26, Sistine, 24, and Scarlet, 20, with Flavin. In his recent discussion with the Times, Stallone elaborated on the lessons he's learned about being part of a family, and specifically fatherhood.
"I didn't pay enough attention when they were growing up," he shared. "I was so career-oriented, and now I go, 'OK, I don't have that much runway up ahead, and I want to start asking them about their lives.'"
As for his daughters, Stallone explained that he's making up for lost time and being a bit more involved these days. "I ask them about their day, and they started at first a little monosyllabic," he said. "Then I heard one say, 'I was just thinking about you.' Oh, my God. I've never heard that before in my life. When a daughter knows you care, she's there forever."
During the Times conversation, Stallone spoke about Tulsa King, his TV debut where he produces and stars as Dwight "The General" Manfredi, a man who has spent 25 years behind bars for a murder that his boss committed.
While filming Tulsa King back in May, Stalone even got to spend some time with his eldest daughter in Brooklyn.
The role comes after he starred as an ex-vigilante out for justice in Samaritan, the Amazon Prime Video film where he plays Mr. Smith, the "mysterious and reclusive neighbor" of 13-year-old Sam Cleary. The teen starts to suspect that Stallone's character is really a "superpowered vigilante," and tries to talk him out of being a recluse.
Stallone, who told the Times that action films "changed radically when it became possible to Velcro your muscles on," is still a proponent of working out despite the operations he's had to recover from over the years. "Don't do your own stunts, that's the moral of that. But the special effects became more important than the person. Life is a matter of managing your ass-whipping," he said. "That's why I've always been a fan of defeated fighters. The undefeated boxer? I'm not interested."
