2026-10-07 11:44:48Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Sylvester Stallone has recounted one of the most sensational conflicts of his career with actor Richard Gere, which occurred during the filming of the 1974 film, "The Lords of Flatbush."

In his memoir, "The Steps," the actor reveals that tensions between them began during rehearsals and culminated in a physical altercation, which was also caused by a chicken.

Stallone, 80, writes that initially his relationship with Robert De Niro, who was part of the cast, was very good. The situation changed when he began rehearsing with Richard Gere.

 According to Stallone, during the improvisation, Gere grabbed him by the shirt and dug his nails into his skin. He asked him to stop, but the actor repeated the same action in the second take.

Stallone says he then asked director Steven Verona for permission to react to the improvisation as he would in real life.

"I would knock his teeth out," Stallone told the director, who replied, "Please don't do that."

But the situation would escalate further during a lunch break. According to Stallone, the two actors were in a car when grease from the chicken Gere was eating fell on his leg.

"Chicken fat poured onto my leg," the actor recalls.

 Stallone admits that he reacted by hitting Gere in the chest with his elbow, before pulling him out of the back seat of the car.

"Oh my God, I don't want to get into this," Gere told him, according to Stallone. "Too late," was his response.

Director Steven Verona intervened to separate them, and according to Stallone, at that moment it became clear that one of them had to leave the film.

Ultimately, Richard Gere left “The Lords of Flatbush.” Robert De Niro also left the production, and both were replaced by Perry King and Henry Winkler.

Stallone's account is published in his memoir "The Steps," which was released on September 29.


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