Sylvester Stallone Reveals Teen Psychiatric Ward Stay and Attack in New Memoir The Steps

Sylvester Stallone is known for playing heroes who take a beating and keep going. In a new New York Times profile tied to his memoir The Steps, the 80-year-old says he learned that resilience the hard way. As a teenager, Stallone says he was sent to a psychiatric facility called Park Lodge, also known as the Snake Pit, as punishment for sneaking out of school. He describes filth, naked patients and chaos, and says he spent a couple of weeks in a ward.

The most graphic claim: Stallone says a fellow patient nicknamed Jay Bird attacked him in a bathroom, grabbing his groin and throat. He says two guards then beat the attacker with razor straps. His takeaway from the ordeal? In his words,“You can’t break me.”That line is also reportedly detailed in The Steps, which arrives Tuesday, September 29.

Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, which operated his school, Devereux Manor High School, responded to the profile by saying it respects Stallone’s right to tell his story and is sorry for any trauma he remembers. It’s a heavy reveal from one of Hollywood’s biggest action icons, and it’s sparking conversations about how teens were treated in psychiatric facilities decades ago.

Are you planning to pick up The Steps when it drops? Let us know in the comments.