OFFICIALLY, Sylvester Stallone was on honeymoon. After months of speculation, he and longtime girlfriend, Jennifer Flavin, exchanged vows in London in the kind of "lavish" yet "private" wedding bash of which Hello! magazine editors' dreams are made.
Unofficially, Sylvester had a little business to take care of. Burger business. "Listen honey," you can imagine the 50 year old superstar saying to his 28 year old wife, "I gotta go plug Planet Hollywood in Dublin. You can shop, I can play golf. It'll be romantic. Um. The Irish, uh, breed romance."
They flew in on Monday with 10 month old baby, Sophia Rose, and were driven to the K Club in Co Kildare. Just a couple of tanned, gorgeous, fabulously rich newlyweds and their baby getting away from it all.
She is an exmodel and a third wife for Stallone. He has two sons from previous relationships. But as the muscular megastar told US chatshow host Larry King recently, Jennifer is "the one".
On the surface, Stallone appears to have rolled off the same bodybuilding conveyor belt that produced his buddy and business partner, Arnold Schwarzenegger. This jars with the Stallone that comes across during interviews - an art loving, Hemingway quoting amateur philosopher who likes nothing more than discussing the virtues of the New Man.
Stallone grew up in the appropriately named Hell's Kitchen district of New York City. His birth on July 6th, 1946, seemed to hint at his impending stardom. Two of his most talked about trademarks, the drooping eyes and slurred speech, result from a severed facial nerve caused by the forceps during delivery.
Young Stallone was passionate about comic books, especially the futuristic adventures of Judge Dredd. Decades later he would star in the movie version. During one childhood incident he put on a Superman outfit, jumped off his roof and broke his collarbone. It was in Philadelphia, where he moved after his hairdresser father and chorus girl mother separated, that the movie actor idea began to germinate. His mother, Jacqueline, dabbled in astrology and predicted that her son would make it - as a writer.
He proceeded to win parts in several unremarkable movies - including The Italian Stallion in 1970 - and appeased his mother by notching up screen-plays in his spare time. He is said to have penned the first draft of Rocky in three days and only agreed to it being made on the condition that he was the star.
The big time beckoned. After Rocky, his performance in Paradise Alley hinted that had he pursued meatier roles the budding star could have been the eventual recipient of a different type of acclaim. Instead, Sly chose the path paved with gold - starring in, directing and cowriting the deluge of Rocky movies that followed. In between he donned a bandana and an AK47 for Rambo 1, 2 and 3, which he also co-wrote. The two series of films grossed nearly $2 billion worldwide.
Fast forward to a hospital somewhere in Florida, August 1996. Stallone has more on his mind than weight training for another "no brainer" movie - his own synopsis of Judge Dredd. His daughter, Sophia Rose was born with a hole in her heart and the trauma before her eventual recovery forced a sort of turning point in his life.
Suddenly everyone's favourite action man and self confessed stereotype was talking about being taken seriously. "You start to think about the foolishness you've done, the lack of sincerity ... and then you say, what is important in life? Really, what is?"
Well, not plotless, explosion packed action movies apparently. Daylight, his last movie, was that rare breed of action flicks - one utterly devoid of guns.
His latest project, the next step in Stallone's metamorphosis, has amazed pundits. He went from a trim gym fanatic to a 39 inch waisted slob in order to star as an almost stone deaf sheriff in a low budget, high credibility movie called Copland.
He was paid next to nothing to feature in the independent film, which co stars Hollywood heavyweights Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel. Some have questioned whether this transition from action hero to serious thespian has come too late in Stallone's career. He has already tried, and failed, at comedy roles. But even if Copland doesn't open up a new career for the new look Stallone, his other business interest should keep his bank manager happy. In 1991, Stallone and colleagues Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg launched the first in a chain of movietheme restaurants. Planet Hollywood, chockfull of movie memorabilia (the bus from Speed, Rocky's robe, Rambo's gun, etc.) has been packing them in. There are now 55 branches worldwide.
On Wednesday, the Italian Stallion turned up at the St Stephen's Green Centre to see work begin on the new Dublin site. When it opens in November, Liam Neeson's costumes in Michael Collins and Pierce Brosnan's movie props will be among the Irish items on display.
Stallone befriended Bertie Ahern, swopping jackets with the jubilant opposition leader. Burger business completed, Stallone, Jennifer and Sophia Rose flew back to Miami that afternoon. Rumours that Mr Ahern's anorak will take pride of place in Planet Hollywood Dublin are, as yet, unconfirmed.