‘I Play Rocky’ Actor Scot Teller Has Fans Stunned With His Burt Young Look
Scot Teller portrays Burt Young, the actor who originated Paulie in ‘Rocky‘, in the new Amazon MGM Studios biopic ‘I Play Rocky’. Young died in October 2023, so the film brings one of the franchise’s most recognizable faces back to the screen through a lookalike. Teller is among the supporting players who populate the world behind the cameras of the 1976 boxing classic.
‘I Play Rocky’ is directed by Peter Farrelly, the filmmaker behind ‘Green Book’, from a script by Peter Gamble. Anthony Ippolito stars as a young Sylvester Stallone, a struggling actor who believed he was meant not just to write ‘Rocky’ but to play Rocky Balboa himself. The film follows his fight to get that script made on his own terms.
The buzz now centers on how closely Teller resembles Young. A side-by-side comparison circulating online sets Young as Paulie next to Teller in a meat-locker scene, and viewers are stunned by how well the two match. The scene nods to the packing-plant world where Paulie and Rocky worked in the original film.
The reaction makes sense for a movie built on recreating real people from a famous production. Paulie is among the most quotable and instantly recognizable characters in the series. Getting his look right matters for a film that asks audiences to believe they are watching the making of a legend.
Fans are in shock at how much the actor who plays Paulie in I Play Rocky looks like the original actor Actor Scot Teller plays the late Burt Young in the movie https://t.co/b1cT6S3912
— CoveredGeekly (@CoveredGeekly) November 8, 2026
Burt Young was born in Queens, New York, and served in the Marine Corps before becoming an actor. He boxed during his service, and he later studied under acting teacher Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio. He built a reputation as a go-to performer for rough-edged, working-class characters with a vulnerable streak.
His breakout came as Paulie Pennino, the gruff, beer-drinking meat packer who was Rocky’s friend and later his brother-in-law. The performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He went on to play Paulie in six ‘Rocky’ films, ending with ‘Rocky Balboa’ in 2006.
Beyond the franchise, Young appeared in ‘Chinatown’, ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ and ‘Back to School’. He also played a mobster on ‘The Sopranos’. He died in Los Angeles at 83, and Stallone paid tribute to him on Instagram, calling him an incredible man and artist.
Teller is part of a deep ensemble of actors playing real figures from the original production. Matt Dillon plays Stallone’s father, Frank Stallone Sr., and AnnaSophia Robb plays Stallone’s first wife, Sasha Czack. Stephan James takes on Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed.
Kiki Seto portrays Talia Shire, while Robert Morgan plays Burgess Meredith, the actor who gave the series its trainer, Mickey. P.J. Byrne plays producer Irwin Winkler, and Tracy Letts and Toby Kebbell also appear. Each of these roles invites the same close comparison to the real people that Teller’s casting has now sparked.
The film opened in limited release on November 6 and expands nationwide on November 20. That timing lines up with the 50th anniversary of the original ‘Rocky’, which opened on November 21, 1976. The original film is also returning to theaters around the anniversary.
Stallone is not officially involved in the production, which makes the casting of his supporting players more important. Early festival coverage has been warm. The Film Stage called the movie a crowdpleaser after its Toronto screening and praised Ippolito for avoiding mere imitation.
Biopics about film history live or die on whether the performers feel believable beside the footage audiences already know. A convincing Paulie helps sell the world of the original film. When a supporting actor looks the part as strongly as Teller appears to, it gives viewers an easier way into the story.
It also gives fans a fresh way to celebrate Young’s legacy as the franchise turns 50. Whether Teller’s performance matches his look will be clear once more audiences see the film. For now, the resemblance alone has people talking.
New trailer for ‘I PLAY ROCKY’. The film follows a young Sylvester Stallone & the dramatic journey it took to get ‘ROCKY’ made. In theaters on November 20. https://t.co/aT3Z3XQTOX
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 22, 2026
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