Sylvester Stallone has detailed an intense feud with Richard Gere that led to a physical fight on the set of their 1974 film, The Lords of Flatbush. The animosity between the two actors reportedly began during auditions.
According to Stallone's memoir, "The Steps," an ad-lib session with Gere during the audition process took a turn when Gere allegedly grabbed Stallone's T-shirt aggressively. Stallone recalled asking the director if he could react as he would in real life, to which he stated he would "knock his teeth out." The director reportedly advised against it.
Matters escalated further during the filming of the Brooklyn-set comedy. Stallone recounted an incident during a lunch break where Gere allegedly spilled chicken grease on him. This reportedly triggered a physical confrontation, with Stallone elbowing Gere and pulling him out of the car. Gere is said to have pleaded, "Hey, man, I don’t want to get physical," to which Stallone replied, "Too late." The fight was broken up by director Stephen F Verona, who stepped between them.
The tension between Stallone and Gere became so pronounced that it was deemed unworkable for them to continue acting together. Consequently, Gere was replaced in the film by Perry King. Stallone wrote in his memoir that "one of us had to go."
The Daily Mail has contacted Gere's representatives for comment.
The Lords of Flatbush, directed by Stephen F Verona and Martin Davidson, was a low-budget film about blue-collar youths in 1950s Brooklyn. Stallone's audition process for the film also involved Robert De Niro.
This was not the only reported instance of friction between the two actors. Approximately two decades after the film's release, in 1994, Stallone and Gere were reportedly involved in another near-altercation at a party in London. Elton John's memoir claims the incident involved Princess Diana, with whom Gere was reportedly engaged in a deep conversation. Stallone, who allegedly had plans to approach Diana, became agitated, leading to a confrontation where the two actors squared up before being separated.
Stallone has also publicly addressed and denied being the source of an unsubstantiated rumor concerning Gere and a gerbil, stating that Gere believed him to be responsible.