Key Highlights
- Sylvester Stallone details the origins of his decades-long feud with Richard Gere in his new memoir, The Steps.
- The clash occurred during rehearsals for the 1974 film The Lords of Flatbush, involving physical improvisation and an altercation over spilled chicken grease.
- Director Stephen Verona intervened, ultimately leading to Richard Gere being replaced on the production while Stallone remained.
Sylvester Stallone Recalls Tense On-Set Clash With Richard Gere
Sylvester Stallone has reflected on his extensive Hollywood career in his new memoir, The Steps, released on 29 September. Within the book, the 80-year-old actor revisits the origins of his infamous, long-running feud with Richard Gere. The hostility dates back to the early 1970s during the audition and rehearsal process for the 1974 coming-of-age drama The Lords of Flatbush, a production where Stallone also encountered Robert De Niro.
According to Stallone, rehearsals alongside De Niro started smoothly, but the dynamic quickly soured when working with Gere. During an unscripted moment, physical boundaries were crossed, which Stallone claims threatened to push him over the edge after Gere had begun to stir the emotional cauldron inside
him.
From Rehearsal Friction to Threats of Violence
In the memoir, Stallone recounts the exact moment the working relationship began to deteriorate during an acting exercise. Stallone claims that while everything went pretty well initially
with De Niro, the improvisation with Gere went bad
.
When Gere grabbed my T-shirt and his fingernails dug into my skin. I told him to back off, but he did it again on the second take,
Stallone claims. Reflecting on the escalation, he adds, He couldn’t have known, but Gere had begun to stir the emotional cauldron inside me.
Following the incident, Stallone approached director Stephen Verona to ask if he could respond to Gere the way he would actually react
in real life. Stallone recalls the exchange: ‘What would you do?’ ‘Do? I’d knock his teeth out.’ ‘Please don’t,’
Verona replied.
The Incident in the Car: Spilled Grease and Gere’s Exit
The animosity reached a breaking point during a lunch break while the two actors were sitting inside a car parked on set. Stallone alleges that Gere was eating food that ended up ruining his clothes. A stream of chicken grease spilled off the foil paper onto my leg,
Stallone writes.
The situation immediately escalated into a confrontation. Stallone says he elbowed
Gere across the chest before exiting the vehicle to drag him outside. According to Stallone, ‘Hey, man, I don’t want to get physical,’ Gere said in a thin voice. ‘Too late …’ Stephen Verona put himself in front of Gere,
preventing further physical violence.
The altercation marked the end of their professional collaboration on the production. It was clear to everyone that this wasn’t working. One of us had to go,
Stallone writes. Verona chose to retain Stallone and fired Gere from the production.
Cast Reshuffling on The Lords of Flatbush
Following Gere’s firing, the production underwent significant casting changes. Robert De Niro also left the set to pursue another project. The vacated roles were eventually filled by Perry King and Henry Winkler, who starred alongside Stallone, Paul Mace, and Susan Blakely. Stallone also went on to receive credit for writing additional dialogue for the completed 1974 film.
Why This Matters
The friction between Sylvester Stallone and Richard Gere has been one of classic Hollywood’s most enduring behind-the-scenes rivalries, rumored for decades but rarely broken down in such granular detail. The Lords of Flatbush served as an essential launching pad for Stallone’s career, giving him early screenwriting credentials shortly before he wrote and starred in Rocky (1976). Stallone’s firsthand accounting in The Steps provides historical context to early-1970s American cinema, illustrating the raw, volatile environment of young method actors competing for breakout roles prior to attaining international stardom.
Frequently Asked Questions
What started the feud between Sylvester Stallone and Richard Gere?
The dispute began during auditions and rehearsals for The Lords of Flatbush when Gere dug his fingernails into Stallone’s skin during an improvisation take, followed later by Gere spilling chicken grease on Stallone’s leg in a parked car.
Who replaced Richard Gere in The Lords of Flatbush?
After Gere was dismissed from the production and Robert De Niro exited for another project, the production recast the roles with actors Perry King and Henry Winkler.
Has Richard Gere responded to the claims in Stallone’s memoir?
Representatives for Richard Gere were contacted for comment regarding the claims made in Sylvester Stallone’s memoir.
