Sylvester Stallone and Sage didn’t have a perfect father-and-son relationship. Sage admitted that the yelling in the movie wasn’t all acting. When he was shouting "You never spent time with me! You never spent time with my mother!" it was what he really felt. But getting these feelings out helped after all. Sage said to People that they even shed some tears a couple of times and after the film, they were ready to do anything for one another. When Sage passed away at the age of 36, Sylvester Stallone was inconsolable and stated that there is no greater pain than losing a child.