Sylvester Stallone details physical attacks at Devereux Manor high school
Sylvester Stallone is pulling back the curtain on a brutal chapter of his youth, detailing a past stay at Devereux Manor High School in Pennsylvania.
Inside the Punitive Walls of Devereux Manor
Run by the Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health foundation, the institution serves individuals across areas including autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, specialty mental health, education, and foster care. But during the 80-year-old Oscar-nominated actor’s promotional tour for his memoir The Steps, his interview with The New York Times painted a starkly different picture of the facility.
Stallone recalled facing severe disciplinary actions for minor teenage infractions. Punishments for typical adolescent behavior—like sneaking out to see a girl—involved being hauled off to specific holding areas.
“In my age group, the teenagers, if you ever snuck out to see a girl or do something like that, you’d be reprimanded by being taken to a place called Park Lodge or the Snake Pit,” Stallone told The New York Times.
The actor explicitly detailed the physical violence he experienced within those spaces. “I was attacked there,” Stallone said, describing environments meant to punish resident youth.
Candid Revelations on the Memoir Trail
The disclosure about his teenage years coincides with a broader wave of candid reflections from the Hollywood icon regarding his personal life and legendary career. While promoting The Steps alongside recent media appearances, including a September 26, 2026 discussion reported by Just Jared, Stallone has shared various deeply personal trials from his past.
The Toll of Stardom and Rocky III
Reports published on September 26, 2026, by outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap revealed that Stallone admitted to struggling with bulimia and utilizing steroids during the production of films like Rocky III, noting that performance pressures in the industry drove him to such extremes.
Family Dynamics and Cinematic Legacy
Additional interviews from the same promotional window highlighted strained family dynamics, including memories of his late father’s cameo in the Rocky franchise that took an unexpected turn, as covered by Deadline on September 26, 2026.
By confronting these challenging chapters—from institutional trauma in his teens to the physical pressures of cinematic stardom—Stallone continues to reexamine the foundational experiences that shaped his life and career.