Richard Gere and Sylvester Stallone – two of the most famous men from the 90s in Hollywood began their rise to stardom quite early on. But while Gere went on to woo the audience with all smiles and charm, Sly took the moviegoers to the volatile boxing rings of Rocky and the dangerous forests of Rambo.
Despite their difference in approach to the projects they took on, chivalry has been the one common and deciding factor among both the Hollywood partisans, so it is quite surprising when one gets to recall the incident when both men came to blows on the sets of an obscure film on a matter more shocking than usual.
Richard Gere’s Ego Ticked Off Sylvester Stallone
Long before the Pretty Woman actor began to conquer the heart of the fandom and put some serious dent in Hugh Grant’s reputation as the King of Rom-Com, Richard Gere established himself in the industry as a sex symbol with his role in American Gigolo (1980). Soon after, the actor not only began landing roles with top productions but found himself in the presence of royalty as well. According to the Rocketman singer, Elton John:
“Diana and Richard Gere’s newly blossoming friendship was not going down well with Sylvester Stallone at all. I think he may have turned up to the party with the express intention of picking Diana up, only to find his plans for the evening ruined.”
But as sensational as a Hollywood rivalry over the attention of a princess sounds, it was the sets of the 1974 film, The Lords of the Flatbush, that originally served as the epicenter of the yet-unresolved drama between the two. Richard Gere’s supposed ego failed to impress Sylvester Stallone and later led them to an altercation that brought down the gavel on their situation.
Gere v Sly: The Infamous Mustard Fight in a Toyota
The sudden rise in popularity in the 80s perhaps contributed to Primal Fear actor, Richard Gere’s boost in confidence but if one were to ask Sylvester Stallone, he already harbored a healthy dose of egotistical allure about himself. And this is what led the pair to come to blows when working together on the film, The Lords of Flatbush. In an interview with Ain’t It Cool in 2006, Sly claimed:
“We never hit it off. He would strut around in his oversized motorcycle jacket like he was the baddest knight at the round table. One day, during an improv, he grabbed me (we were simulating a fight scene) and got a little carried away. I told him in a gentle fashion to lighten up, but he was completely in character and impossible to deal with. Then we were rehearsing at Coney Island and it was lunchtime, so we decided to take a break, and the only place that was warm was in the backseat of a Toyota.
I was eating a hotdog and he climbs in with a half a chicken covered in mustard with grease nearly dripping out of the aluminum wrapper. I said, ‘That thing is going to drip all over the place.’ He said, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ I said, ‘If it gets on my pants you’re gonna know about it.’ He proceeds to bite into the chicken and a small, greasy river of mustard lands on my thigh. I elbowed him in the side of the head and basically pushed him out of the car. The director had to make a choice: one of us had to go, one of us had to stay. Richard was given his walking papers and to this day, [he] seriously dislikes me.”
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Stallone revealed in 2006 that the pair were seen constantly getting into physical fights which eventually led to Richard Gere being recast and replaced by Perry King once it became apparent that the two actors were becoming too volatile in each other’s presence. At the time, the 1974 film starred a relatively unknown Sly and Gere and both actors already had a lot to prove. Getting the upper hand over Gere was definitely a win for the Rocky actor.
Source: Elton John | ME
