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Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin leave The Polo Bar

Sylvester Stalloneis opening up about his marriage toJennifer Flavin, and how their brief split was a “tumultuous time” in his life.

Stallone, 76, spoke withthe Sunday Timesabout the couple’s August split after 25 years of marriage, before theycalled off their divorcejust a month later.

“Let’s just say that it was a very tumultuous time,” Stallone said. “There was a reawakening of what was more valuable than anything, which is my love for my family. It takes precedence over my work, and that was a hard lesson to learn.”

Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin.Stefanie Keenan/Getty

Sylvester Stallone (L) and Jennifer Flavin attend A Sense Of Home’s First Ever Annual Gala - The Backyard Bowl at a Private Residence on November 01, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.

When Flavin, 54, filed for divorce from Stallone in August, Stallonesaid in a statementthey were “amicably and privately addressing these personal issues,” before PEOPLE confirmed in September that Flavin and Stallonereconciled.They’ve since beenspotted in New York City on Oct. 7, two weeks after they announced the divorce wasn’t happening, as they were seen enjoying the city. One outing saw them meet up withLeonardo DiCaprioand his father, as they wore their wedding rings.

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TheRockyactor has five children. Sons Sage and Seargeoh are from his first marriage with actress Sasha Czack. He then shares daughters Sophia, 26, Sistine, 24, and Scarlet, 20, with Flavin. In his recent discussion with theTimes, Stallone elaborated on the lessons he’s learned about being part of a family, and specifically fatherhood.

“I didn’t pay enough attention when they were growing up,” he shared. “I was so career-oriented, and now I go, ‘OK, I don’t have that much runway up ahead, and I want to start asking them about their lives.'”

As for his daughters, Stallone explained that he’s making up for lost time and being a bit more involved these days. “I ask them about their day, and they started at first a little monosyllabic,” he said. “Then I heard one say, ‘I was just thinking about you.’ Oh, my God. I’ve never heard that before in my life. When a daughter knows you care, she’s there forever.”

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Sylvester Stallone and Sophia Stallone attend SAINT LAURENT At The Palladium at Hollywood Palladium on February 10, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.

While filming Tulsa Kingback in May, Stalone even got to spendsome time with his eldest daughterin Brooklyn.

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The role comes after he starred as anex-vigilante out for justice inSamaritan, the Amazon Prime Video film where he plays Mr. Smith, the “mysterious and reclusive neighbor” of 13-year-old Sam Cleary. The teen starts to suspect that Stallone’s character is really a “superpowered vigilante,” and tries to talk him out of being a recluse.

Stallone, who told theTimesthat action films “changed radically when it became possible to Velcro your muscles on,” is still a proponent of working out despite the operations he’s had to recover from over the years. “Don’t do your own stunts, that’s the moral of that. But the special effects became more important than the person. Life is a matter of managing your ass-whipping,” he said. “That’s why I’ve always been a fan of defeated fighters. The undefeated boxer? I’m not interested.”

source: people.com