The HoneyDew with Ryan Sickler

Episode 356: Dolph Lundgren – Fighting Rocky and Beating Cancer (October 20, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this poignant and candid episode of The HoneyDew, Ryan Sickler sits down with legendary action star Dolph Lundgren to highlight the “lowlights” of Lundgren’s remarkable journey. The two discuss Dolph's childhood in Sweden marked by trauma and illness, his rise from bullied “runt” to international martial arts champion and action movie icon (“Ivan Drago” in Rocky IV), his battles with alcoholism, and—most powerfully—his long, terrifying and ultimately victorious battle against cancer. The episode mixes laughter, reflection, and raw honesty in The HoneyDew’s signature style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Childhood in Sweden: Family, Trauma, & Adversity

• Background: Born to an upper-middle-class mother (a linguist) and a working-class father (an engineer and army officer), Dolph’s early life was shaped by Sweden’s shadow of World War II. (09:46–12:14)
• Father's Abuse & Trauma: His father’s own traumatic upbringing, mental health struggles, and violent temper led to years of physical abuse directed at his mother and only at Dolph—the eldest of four.

  “He was very violent towards my mother and beat her a lot, and he beat me...but he never touched [my siblings]. It was just me and my mom.”
  —Dolph Lundgren (14:50)

• Sickness and Isolation: Severely affected by allergies and asthma (possibly emotionally triggered), Dolph was often housebound, unable to play outside, and bullied as a frail, “runt” child (15:43–17:44):

  “I would stay home, paint, listen to music… entertain myself.”
  —Dolph (17:20)

2. Martial Arts, Growth, and the Break From Trauma

• Turning Point: At 13, Dolph was sent to live with grandparents—away from his abusive father, he started to thrive physically and academically, took up judo, and later karate. Initial motivation was self-defense, even vengeance towards his father (18:04–20:20).
• Discipline & Growth: Through sports and martial arts, he shifted his motivation from revenge to competition:

  “By the time I was 17, part of martial arts is a certain non-violent attitude... you learn to defend yourself, but you’re not supposed to hit somebody for no reason. So eventually I gave up the idea of beating him up and just pursued it as a sport.”
  —Dolph (19:27)

• Martial Arts Champion: By age 21, Dolph was Swedish, British Open, and Australian champion, gaining early fame and a sense of self-worth absent at home (20:55–22:31).

3. Psychological Aftermath: Learning to Heal

• Impact of Trauma: Despite success, the psychological scars lingered—undermining his confidence and relationships (especially with his children later). Ryan and Dolph discuss using adversity as fuel but the complexity of healing from abuse.

  “You always love your parents no matter what they do… you develop traumas and PTSD… I dealt with [that] for many, many years afterward.”
  —Dolph (22:31)

• Therapy and Healing: Only in his 50s, after divorce and struggles with alcoholism, did Dolph seek therapy, catalyzed by not wanting to ruin a second relationship. Therapy and meditation finally helped dissolve the “lump of ice in the chest.” (24:54–28:14)

  “Otherwise, you’re making decisions, but you’re not making the decisions. There’s other things making decisions… when that goes away, you’re free to live your life the way you should have done from the beginning.”
  —Dolph (27:15)

4. Cancer: Medical Crisis, Misdiagnosis, and Survival

• Diagnosis: Ten years ago, after a racing event with his daughter, he noticed blood in his urine—tests revealed a tumor on his kidney (“the worst five days of my life…”). Initial tumor removed, but five years later more tumors appeared (31:13–33:14).
• Struggle and Misdiagnosis: Underwent immunotherapy, faced rapid weight loss, and severe side effects; an initial oncologist was uncommunicative and, it turns out, incorrect, telling him he had only “maybe three years” to live (41:04).

  “I told him, just man to man, what’s the situation here? How long do I have left? He said, ‘Maybe three years.’ And I said, ‘That’s it?’”
  —Dolph (41:04)

• The Right Doctor & a Turnaround: A second opinion at UCLA revealed a misdiagnosis—a rare mutation treatable by existing drugs. Once on the correct medication, Dolph’s tumors shrank rapidly. He became “NED—no evidence of disease”—and is now cancer-free (46:46–47:42, 49:28).

  “If you don’t go find this lady, you’re done. All because of a misdiagnosis.” —Ryan (50:41)
  “I would have been dead.” —Dolph (50:45)

• Perspective Shift: The experience changed his entire outlook:

  “If cancer hadn’t come into my life, I may have killed myself doing something else, being reckless, abusing myself physically. If it wasn’t for cancer, maybe I would have been dead anyway—it saved my life in a strange way.”
  —Dolph (53:23)

• Advocacy: Dolph now helps others navigate cancer and champions the importance of second opinions.

5. Career: From Martial Arts to Ivan Drago

• Rocky IV Breakout: Out of 5,000 candidates, Dolph won the iconic role of Ivan Drago in Rocky IV (55:04). He deliberately played Drago as intense and cold rather than overtly menacing, which proved much more effective (56:51–57:36).

  “Just stand there. ‘I must break you.’ Just keep it internal, you know...” —Dolph (57:29)

• Public Reaction: While some gave him grief for “killing Apollo Creed” (58:25–59:07), most admired him—especially for his imposing, mysterious screen presence.

  “Some people, especially the young ladies, kind of liked my character because he was like kind of unreal looking, you know, and very fit…” —Dolph (58:25)

• Physicality on Set: Both he and Stallone took real hits during filming. Stallone’s hospitalization was the result of Dolph’s formidable punch… on Sly’s instruction! (61:07–61:23)
• Return in Creed II: In Creed II, Dolph channeled his real father’s trauma to play Drago as a nuanced, multi-generational character, delivering a powerful on-screen reconciliation that echoed his own healing (62:25–64:33).

6. Other Anecdotes & Lighter Moments

• Home Invasion (2009): Three masked burglars broke into his house—upon realizing whose home it was, they fled, even returned some watches! (54:00–54:28)
• Advice to Young Dolph:

  “I would give him a big hug and say, 'Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine. Just be yourself and don’t worry so much.'” (65:08)

7. Current Projects & Life Today

• Vodka Brand: “Hard Cut”—premium potato vodka, available at BevMo/Total Wine and top LA/NY/FL venues (03:45–05:46, 65:50).
• Documentary & Book:
  • Doc: Dolph Unbreakable, showing at festivals, details his career, cancer, and resilience.
  • Book: Upcoming autobiography with Harper Collins (07:47).
• Health: Cancer-free at 67, training, and supporting others with survivorship.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|--------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14:50 | Dolph | “He was very violent towards my mother and beat her a lot, and he beat me. …It was just me and my mom.” | | 22:31 | Dolph | “...when you’re a young kid, you always love your parents…you develop traumas and PTSD…I dealt with [that] for many years after.” | | 27:15 | Dolph | “Otherwise you’re making decisions, but you’re not making the decisions. …There’s other things making decisions.” | | 41:04 | Dolph | “I told him, just man to man, what’s the situation here? How long do I have left? He said, ‘Maybe three years.’” | | 50:41 | Ryan & Dolph | “If you don’t go find this lady, you’re done. All because of a misdiagnosis.” —Ryan “I would have been dead.” —Dolph | | 53:23 | Dolph | “If cancer hadn’t come into my life, I may have killed myself doing something else… It saved my life in a strange way.” | | 57:29 | Dolph | “Just stand there. ‘I must break you.’ Just keep it internal, you know...” | | 65:08 | Dolph | “I would give [16-year-old me] a big hug and say, 'Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine. Just be yourself and don’t worry so much.'” | | 65:30 | Dolph | "If he dies, he dies." (in character, classic Drago line) |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:01] – Dolph’s background, vodka, documentary/book plugs
• [09:46] – Early life & parental history
• [14:50] – Father's abuse, trauma's impact
• [18:04] – Martial arts and self-transformation
• [22:31] – Psychology of trauma and need for therapy
• [24:54] – Entering therapy in his 50s
• [31:13] – 1st cancer diagnosis and initial ordeal
• [41:04] – Misdiagnosis, receiving a devastating prognosis
• [46:46] – The right diagnosis, hope, and recovery
• [49:28] – Cancer-free, new outlook
• [54:00] – Home invasion story
• [55:04] – Rocky IV, landing Drago, career break
• [61:07] – Stunt injuries/hospitalizing Stallone
• [62:25] – Creed II, channeling his real father
• [65:08] – Advice to young self
• [65:30] – Classic Drago call-back: “If he dies, he dies.”

Final Thoughts

Dolph Lundgren’s story is a testament to resilience, honesty, and personal growth. From the traumas of childhood, through competitive sports and action stardom, to the harrowing uncertainty of a cancer misdiagnosis, Dolph’s journey is both sobering and uplifting. He underscores the importance of mental health, second opinions in medicine, and the power of facing your lowlights with courage and humor.

Ryan Sickler’s empathetic, laughter-tinged interview brings out remarkable candor and vulnerability, making this episode a must-listen for anyone seeking inspiration, hope, or just a damn good story.