Sylvester Stallone details 1974 feud with Richard Gere in new memoir

In his new memoir, ‘The Steps’, Sylvester Stallone details a long-standing conflict with Richard Gere that originated during the 1974 production of ‘The Lords of Flatbush’.

Stallone claims the tension began during auditions when Gere allegedly grabbed his T-shirt so forcefully that his fingernails dug into Stallone’s skin. Stallone recounted asking the director, Stephen F. Verona, if he could react to the provocation as he would in real life, to which the director replied, “Please don’t.”

The friction escalated during a lunch break on location near Coney Island. While the two actors were eating in a car to escape the cold, grease from Gere’s chicken spilled onto Stallone’s leg. Stallone stated that he reacted by elbowing Gere in the chest and pulling him out of the vehicle to confront him, despite Gere’s reported attempts to de-escalate the situation.