He spent decades playing the near-indestructible Ivan Drago on screen, but Dolph Lundgren has revealed that behind the scenes, he came closer to the end than anyone knew. In his candid new memoir, Fights Worth Fighting: Finding Strength in Struggle, the Swedish action star discloses that he seriously considered medical aid in dying during a harrowing cancer battle — one that, it later emerged, was based on a misdiagnosis entirely.

Planning the Unthinkable

Lundgren was first diagnosed in 2015 when a doctor discovered a cancerous tumour in his kidney. He continued working throughout his treatment, appearing in films including Aquaman and Creed 2, before entering remission. But in 2020, further tumours were found — and the prognosis darkened considerably. It was during this second, more brutal chapter of his illness that the 68-year-old began making plans that went far beyond his next film role.

"When I was deep into the cancer treatments and thinking about the possibility of killing myself, my brother, Johan, was going to help me, because I didn't know what kind of condition I might be in once I made that decision," Lundgren wrote in the memoir.

He had been researching options in Europe, particularly Switzerland, where assisted dying is permitted for the terminally ill. His agent and longtime friend Johan Pramell offered a telling insight into the actor's mindset at the time: "He wanted to go out in glory like a Viking because he didn't want people to have to watch him suffer or fade away."

The Oncologist Who Changed Everything

What stopped him from going further was a chance encounter that would prove to be life-saving. Lundgren was introduced to Dr Alexandra Drakaki, an oncologist at UCLA Health, who made a discovery that upended everything he thought he knew about his condition.

"At this point, I was depressed and had almost given up all hope," he wrote — but Drakaki identified that his supposed kidney cancer cells carried a mutation far more consistent with lung cancer, explaining why two years of treatment had failed to work.
A man with light hair wearing a beige cardigan and striped shirt smiles at a red event backdrop.

"What she found was that my 'kidney cancer' cells had a mutation that is fairly common in lung cancer. That's why the medications I had been given for the past two years weren't working," Lundgren wrote. He credits Drakaki with saving his life outright, noting that without the correct diagnosis and treatment, he would have had just four or five months left to live. In 2024, he publicly announced that he is now cancer-free.

'You're Only as Sick as Your Secrets'

Speaking to Local 10 ahead of the memoir's release, Lundgren reflected on what drove him to write with such unflinching honesty — trading in his tough-guy image for something far more vulnerable. He had first spoken publicly about his cancer battle in 2023, and found the experience unexpectedly freeing.

"It made me feel good. You know, you're only as sick as your secrets, they say. And it wasn't that difficult for me to talk about it. It made me feel good. It was therapeutic," he said.

A young blonde woman in a cream top and black blazer stands beside an older silver-haired man in a dark burgundy velvet blazer and white dress shirt in front of a branded step-and-repeat backdrop featuring Italian government and cinema logos.
Emma Krokdal and Dolph Lundgren attend an Italian cinema event in Los Angeles. The couple, who got engaged in 2020, have maintained a high-profile relationship despite their significant age difference, frequently appearing together at industry events.

The memoir also revisits his childhood, including an abusive father — ground that Lundgren says he was willing to cover because the act of opening up proved so cathartic. "I think every day is a wonderful day," he told the interviewer, with the quiet conviction of someone who very nearly didn't get another one.

Still Punishing, Still Planning

Away from the weighty memoir revelations, Lundgren has also been in a more playful mood when it comes to his Hollywood legacy. Appearing at GalaxyCon, he was asked whether he would ever consider reprising his role as Frank Castle — The Punisher — the character he first played decades before Jon Bernthal made the role his own.

"Maybe I'm a little bit too old for the Punisher. I could still punish people, I guess, if I had to," Lundgren quipped. "The Punisher is a fun, interesting character. A lot of other people have played him. Why not? Maybe I can come back as the friendly old uncle or something."

A man with slicked-back dark hair wearing a dark jacket sits astride a motorcycle, gripping the handlebars and gazing upward against a shadowy, textured backdrop.
Dolph Lundgren as Frank Castle in the 1989 action film The Punisher, one of the earliest Marvel character adaptations to reach the big screen. Lundgren's portrayal of the vigilante antihero has since gained cult status among fans of the genre.

Given Marvel's current appetite for multiverse cameos — Deadpool & Wolverine managed to resurrect both Jennifer Garner's Elektra and Wesley Snipes' Blade — stranger things have happened. For now, though, Lundgren seems content with the real-life comeback story he's already living.

Fights Worth Fighting: Finding Strength in Struggle by Dolph Lundgren is published by Harper Horizon.