Sylvester Stallone Says He Threatened To Knock Richard Gere’s Teeth Out on ‘The Lords of Flatbush’ Set
Before ‘Rocky’ turned him into a movie star, Sylvester Stallone was a struggling young actor trying to land roles wherever he could. One of his earliest breaks came with ‘The Lords of Flatbush’, a 1974 coming-of-age film about 4 Brooklyn teenagers in the greaser culture of the 1950s.
The low-budget film later became a cult favorite, partly because of the future stars in its cast. Stallone played Stanley Rosiello and even contributed dialogue, while Henry Winkler appeared just as his career was taking off with ‘Happy Days’.
Now Stallone is revisiting a more chaotic chapter of that production. In his new memoir ‘The Steps’, released on September 29, he describes a clash with Richard Gere so heated that he threatened to knock his co-star’s teeth out.
According to Stallone, the trouble started during auditions, which also included Robert De Niro. He wrote that things went well at first with De Niro, with the 2 actors trying to outtalk each other in the scene.
Gere was a different story. Stallone said Gere got rough during an improvised moment, and when he told him to back off, Gere did it again on the second take. Stallone then asked co-director Stephen Verona whether he could ad-lib and react the way he would in real life.
When Verona asked what that meant, Stallone said he’d knock Gere’s teeth out, and Verona asked him not to. The tension finally boiled over during a lunch break. Stallone wrote that the 2 were eating in a parked car and he warned Gere not to make a mess.
According to Stallone, Gere ignored him and spilled greasy chicken on him. Stallone said he elbowed Gere across the chest, got out of the car, and pulled him out of the back seat. Stallone said a frightened Gere pleaded with him as he got ready to strike. Verona stepped between them, and Stallone wrote that it was obvious one of them had to go.
Verona chose to keep Stallone and fire Gere, who had been cast as Chico, the gang’s ladies’ man. De Niro also left soon after to pursue another project. Perry King took over Gere’s role, and Winkler joined the cast as well. Stallone claims Gere has disliked him ever since and has blamed him for persistent rumors over the years.
While the Gere story is about a feud that lasted decades, ‘The Lords of Flatbush’ also produced a lasting friendship. Winkler has said Stallone helped inspire his voice for the Fonz on ‘Happy Days’, and the 2 reunited for lunch in 2023.
At the time, Winkler posted a selfie and called it a great lunch, while Stallone shared photos describing Winkler as a very longtime friend. Some fans pointed out that the story isn’t entirely new. One reply to Page Six’s post noted that Stallone had discussed the clash in an interview about 20 years ago, and he spoke about the film in a 2006 interview.
Still, ‘The Steps’ gives the most detailed account yet, including the physical altercation in the car. With the memoir now in stores, the story has caught the attention of a new generation of fans. Gere’s side of the story has not been included in the coverage of the memoir. For now, Stallone’s version of events has become one of the most talked-about parts of the book.
Were you surprised by Sylvester Stallone’s story about his clash with Richard Gere on ‘The Lords of Flatbush’?
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!
