Carl Weathers was an unknown actor auditioning for a movie when he was introduced to the screenwriter—who also couldn't act—and asked to do a scene with him. The screenwriter mumbled under his breath during the dialogue, and afterwards, nervous that he had blown his chance, Withers exclaimed, “If you'd get me a real actor, I could do a lot better.”
The writer turned out to be the actor. Fortunately, Sylvester Stallone wasn't offended, and Withers got the role of Apollo Creed, which changed the history of cinema and his life forever.
“He showed up at the last minute with everything he had: body, skill, soul, acting ability,” Stallone said in a tribute video after Withers’ death in February at age 76. “I wouldn’t have been able to do what we did on Rocky without him. He was magic.”
Withers was, and always will be, Apollo Creed, a towering figure in the quintessential American film franchise; his work in the first four “Rocky” films is undoubtedly part of what led to Withers being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Aug. 29. But Withers was much more than Apollo Creed—ambitious and curious, he became an action star (“Predator”) and then established himself as a comedian (“Happy Gilmore”) and director (“The Mandalorian”). Withers continued to expand his universe, co-writing his first television drama.
Withers is remembered not only for his acting, but also by those who knew him for his demeanor when the cameras weren't rolling. “He was a great guy, and there was nothing Hollywood about him at all,” says David Cross, who worked with him when Withers played a cheap, greedy version of himself in “Arrested Development.”
“Carl was always in control of the room but very humble about it,” says actress C.C.H. Pounder, who played his wife on the sitcom “Brothers.”
“Everyone looked up to him and he had a huge impact on the set,” adds Michael Strahan, who played Withers’ son on the show. “He wasn’t cocky and he could take the jokes, which made everyone feel comfortable. He wanted the challenge as an actor, but he was there to play. He always came with joy.”
Withers' success came from his determination and ambition—let's call it the eye of the tiger—but also from his “uncanny ability to be so focused, so calm as to concentrate on what was in front of him,” says Christine Klodjian, his partner for the past decade.
She noticed it in Withers, whom she remembers as loving and generous, on their first five-hour date. “He was really present, and he gave you his attention,” she says, adding that this trait, along with his emphasis on humor and confidence, was why she fell in love with him but was also strongly tied to his career success. “You could see the sparkle in his eyes in ‘Rocky’ and it’s the same thing—he’s so interested in the other person and the reality of the moment.”
Withers was always interested in his development. Born in New Orleans, he grew up in the segregated South as a sensitive kid drawn to acting and singing. But then he discovered football and flourished, earning a scholarship to a prestigious Catholic school and eventually a full scholarship to San Diego State University, where he starred as a defensive player. After the team went undefeated in 1969, Withers was not drafted by the NFL but went on to earn a spot as a linebacker with the Oakland Raiders. He appeared in eight games before being traded to the Canadian Football League.
Sports remained a major focus of his life, but more importantly, he was always true to himself, says Klodjian. “He never apologized for his size, his intelligence, his race, his tone of voice. He had it all.”
Meanwhile, Withers continued to study his true love, acting. He made two cameo appearances while continuing to act, and then landed his first speaking role as an angry husband in an episode of the series.
“Good times.”
“What I liked was that he was so versatile and so well prepared,” says John Amos, one of the stars of the show. “He was a consummate professional.”
“Good Times” co-star Jimmy Walker adds that Withers remained humble even when he was hanging out with stars like Dennis Hopper and James Caan. “He was a gym buddy, not a showbiz buddy,” Walker recalls. “We didn’t talk about work, we talked about food or his kids. Then he’d read the Los Angeles Times cover to cover while riding a stationary bike. He was a great guy.”
A year after that small role, Withers became a world-famous star in “Rocky.” But he never really changed, even after Creed led to a role opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Predator” and the lead in “Action Jackson.”
“He was humble and really enjoyed the job,” his son Matt recalls. “He was proud of his accomplishments, but he wasn’t doing it for the glamour and the charm.” (While Matt was happy to be on hand when his father filmed the training and racing scene in “Rocky III,” he says their conversations were “loving father-son conversations — he was direct but he cared about what you were going through and offered an intelligent perspective and empathy and love.”)
By the 1990s, Withers was ready for new challenges. He changed his direction and began taking on comedic roles. In a tribute video, Adam Sandler said of his Happy Gilmore co-star, “He was so strong, so calm and so handsome,” but added that Withers “was so kind to us and helped us relax right away.”
Cross points out that while Withers can be funny, he thrives on comedy for the opposite reason. “I’ve seen other dramatic actors try to be funny, and it’s uncomfortable and awkward,” he says. “This was probably a harder role than playing Apollo Creed. He came into the show crazy and silly and didn’t try to be funny, because he knew he was already over the top and funny, so he played it perfectly.”
Around the same time that Withers started doing comedy, he also slipped into a new role: directing. He directed episodes of “Silk Stalkings,” “The Last O.G.,” “Chicago Med” and “The Mandalorian.” (He also earned his first Emmy nomination for his role as Greef Karga on the show.)
Directing became as important to her as acting, Klodjian says, and she thrived because she understood what actors needed, which stemmed from her own approach to acting. “He attended three classes at the studio where I teach acting, and he told my students that you have to be present like a cat watching a fish in a bowl so you can be open to your motivations,” she says. “He believed you have to have the limited energy of a hummingbird.”
Withers loved acting and directing, but he was still expanding his horizons. A chance meeting at a coffee shop with TV writer Jason Wilburn led to a friendship (Withers even officiated Wilburn’s wedding) and eventually a collaboration. Wilburn came to him with an idea about a black FBI agent who is relocated to a rural location in the Pacific Northwest, and the two began developing the idea into a series. “He had a lot of things he wanted to say about being black in America and about patriotism and heritage,” Wilburn says.
Four days before Withers' death, they reached an agreement with Prentice Penny, the producer of “Insecure,” to produce the series. Welburn says they're still working on it. “It's going to be a fitting tribute, and it's going to keep his voice alive.”
The couple constantly challenged each other’s ideas at home about acting, directing and writing, Klodjian says. “I lost a romantic partner and an adventurer in life, but also an artistic collaborator,” she says. “The loss is profound.”
It was a shock, too, especially since he was so active and busy. One thing that cheered Kludjian was that the night before Withers died, they had talked about him getting a star on the Walk of Fame. “Carl was a person who liked to stay level-headed, but he was really happy about this honor,” she says.
Tip sheet
What: Carl Weathers Gets Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
when: August 29, 11:30 AM
where: 7076 Hollywood Boulevard.
Web: Wok ofami.com
