Jane Kenney

Sylvester Stallone's stuntman, Billy Moore, recently sat down with Metro.co.uk and opened up about his troubled life and one strange Hollywood story you'd need to be there to believe. Moore led a drug-filled life at one point, which stemmed from needing some sort of release from his dad's aggression and lack of love. "When I was six, my dad drank heavily, and the lack of love and compassion…It was just a fear-based kind of household, I found myself getting out a lot ‘cause the atmosphere was hostile," he shared. "So, I would find myself hanging out on street corners trying to get acceptance from other kids." Billy Moore / Courtesy Photo In the early days, he began boxing, but he reveals that he really only did that to get approval from his dad. "I started boxing really to try and get approval from my dad, in the early days, but then I began to build my own self-esteem up and didn’t really need his approval then... I think as soon as I picked up drugs, I picked up crime." He reveals he spent a long time being in and out of institutions and eventually, one of the run-ins with rugs landed him in prison for three years. However, rewind a couple of years back, Moore was working next to Sylvester Stallone as his stunt double. Billy Moore and Sylvester Stallone / Courtesy Photo Moore shared some memories from his time with Stallone on set. "I spent a bit of time with him he was a great guy – he never seemed out of character, he was always like how you see him in the movies, he just talks the way he does and that’s how it is," he shared, "He was more intimidating, and he had a presence, I got a feeling that people respected him and when he was there you knew he was there." "One day he watched me fight in this competition and he said to me “you know what, you’re a warrior” that inspired me, for him to tell me that well, that was huge you know." Sylvester Stallone in 2014 / Wikipedia Read onto the NEXT page to hear Billy Moore's bizarre Hollywood story... Now, fast forward a couple of years later... Moore is in prison for drugs. He spent enough time on a glamorous Hollywood set that he slowly slipped back into drug use and he ended up in Bangkwang Central Prison, which is where his bizarre and disturbing story begins. "It was a nightmare... When you go into Bangkok in shackles that weight three kilos on your ankles welded on, put in a cell with 80 people with a prison which has got 20,000 inmates in total...Sleeping next to people who have died, they couldn’t move the bodies in the cells through security." Billy Moore / LIVERPOOL ECHO Even while in prison, he was able to manipulate nurses and doctors to give him drugs. "I was using opium drugs to deal with the pain, so when I was in prison I was manipulating the nurses and doctors to give me drugs and more drugs trying to escape reality and not face the day." During his time in prison, he crafted a book called A Prayer Before Dawn in which he documented his days while in prison. When he was finally released from prison, he admits he had huge culture shock after being in Thailand for so long and then going back to the UK. Moore found refuge and comfort in writing his book. "A Prayer Before Dawn" by Billy Moore / Amazon His book eventually turned into a major motion picture movie. Moore admits that standing on a red carpet in Cannes Film Festival was a bit of a weird and surreal experience for him. Everything pretty much turned up for him. He was not drinking or smoking and has been in remission from stage three non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma for two years running. He now uses his life experiences to help others, including his 41-year-old brother with autism. He has also finished his second book called Surrender From The Heart. "It was quite strange, the only attention I ever got was from drug dealers, and prison officers, or prisoners you know it was all negative – and now people are saying “you’re inspiring what you’ve been through.”’ Billy Moore / Dominique Charriau/Contributor/Wire Image/Getty Images Be sure to SHARE this article if you enjoyed reading this story about Sylvester Stallone's stunt double! Check out the video below of an interview with Billy Moore where he talks about his time in a Thai prison: