“To this day seriously dislikes me.” 51 years ago, Sylvester Stallone got a very famous actor fired from a movie

Before becoming famous as Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallone appeared in the film The Lords of Flatbush. He was discovered by an agent while acting in a play a friend had encouraged him to attend. The agent thought Stallone was ideal for the main role in a movie produced by Martin Davidson and Stephen F. Verona.

He was fired from the movie after a disagreement with a fellow actor. The director decided to cast Sylvester Stallone instead, explaining that he couldn’t accommodate both of them.

Sylvester Stallone, known for his role in the Rocky films, recently discussed a disagreement he had with Richard Gere in an interview with Ain’t It Cool News. The two actors simply didn’t get along from the start.

Originally, Richard Gere was cast as Chico, the role Perry King eventually played, but we just didn’t connect. He’d walk around on set in a huge motorcycle jacket, acting like he was the toughest guy around. During one rehearsal, while we were simulating a fight, he got a bit too enthusiastic with me. I politely asked him to ease up, but he was so into his character that it was difficult to get through to him.

Stallone also remembered an incident that confirmed Chico’s role as an actor. During a lunch break, Stallone apparently became angry and punched Richard Gere, according to an interview he gave.

We were practicing at Coney Island and it was time for lunch. The only warm place to sit was in the back of a Toyota. I was eating a hotdog when he squeezed in with a chicken covered in mustard – it was so greasy the wrapper was practically leaking. I warned him it would drip everywhere, but he didn’t seem concerned. I told him he’d be hearing about it if any got on my pants. Sure enough, when he took a bite, a stream of mustard landed right on my leg. I immediately elbowed him and pushed him out of the car.

It quickly became obvious that Stallone and Richard Gere just weren’t going to work together. I read that Stallone absolutely refused to be in a movie with Gere, so he basically told the director, ‘It’s him or me!’ The director sided with Stallone, and poor Gere was out of the film. Apparently, Stallone says Gere still doesn’t like him to this day!

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2025-11-03 13:32