The movie star decided to lead by example during the film’s most difficult scenes and, before asking actress Giselle Itie to act out torture scenes, he decided to experience what he was putting her through as the director.
And he admits he hopes he’s never imprisoned and forced to give up information by waterboarding torture – because it’s a terrible experience, even when it’s just for a movie.
He explains, “People ask, ‘Is it torture?’ and I have to say, ‘Yeah…’
“Is it horrible? Yeah. As soon as they start pouring water and it gets up your nose, you have no chance. You panic and you start to breath through your mouth – and then you start swallowing water too.”
But Stallone was more than impressed with Itie’s resilience: “She was great – she did it three times.”
U.S. President Barack Obama’s government banned the use of waterboarding, which involves the placing of a liquid-soaked cloth over an immobilised victim in order to obtain information from extrajudicial prisoners like terrorists – because the technique was deemed barbaric.
