Sylvester Stallone in Copland

His action roles all but dried up, Stallone realised his Hollywood future relied on the public believing in him as an actor.

He may have failed to convince us, but that doesn't detract from a perfectly understated performance in the underrated drama Copland.

Stallone was used to pumping his body into shape for the likes of Rocky, Rambo and Cliffhanger, but Copland required something else - a 40 pound weight gain and beer gut.

"Everytime I'd enter a scene," says Stallone, "I'd hear the announcement over the PA. It would be some joker saying 'Fat man walking... fat man walking... "