Richard Tiffany Gere (his middle name is his mother’s maiden name) didn’t get along with his leading lady Debra Winger during the making of the hit film “An Officer and a Gentleman” (1982). She publicly called him a “brick wall,” while he said there was “tension” between them.
He played the title role, had top billing, had more screen time and earned a larger salary than her, while hers was just a love interest role.
Still, he reacted badly when he realized that she was stealing every scene she was in with her charisma and acting talent that resulted in a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her, while he wasn’t nominated at all.
Thirty years later, they patched things up when she presented him with an award at the Rome Film Festival.
Gere said that he and Louis Gossett Jr. were specially trained for the karate scenes that are used in the basic training sequences in the film.
Gere had apparently mastered his karate moves, while Gossett reportedly continued to struggle with them after being trained.
Frustrated, by accident Gere accidentally kicked Gossett in the groin during filming, to which Gossett responded by leaving the set very abruptly.
He did not show up again to the set for another two days afterwards.
In order to keep filming moving and not fall behind, Gere and director Taylor Hackford, called upon another African American karate expert who stood in as a double for Gossett so the scene could wrap up filming.
Despite this incident, Gere has said he takes full responsibility for it, even all these years later, and that it had not ruined a mutual friendship between he and Gossett.
He has said he and Gossett still saw each other on occasion up to Gossett’s death and reminisced about how much they enjoyed making this film together.
Gere balked at shooting the ending of the film, in which Zack arrives at Paula’s factory wearing his naval dress whites and carries her off the factory floor.
Gere thought the ending would not work because it was too sentimental.
Taylor Hackford agreed with Gere until, during a rehearsal, the extras playing the workers began to cheer and cry.
When Gere saw the scene later, with the music underneath it (“Up Where We Belong”) at the right tempo, he said it gave him chills.
Gere is now convinced Hackford made the right decision.
Screenwriter Michael Hauge, in his book “Writing Screenplays That Sell,” echoed this opinion: “I don’t believe that those who criticized this Cinderella-style ending were paying very close attention to who exactly is rescuing whom.” (IMDb)
Happy Birthday, Richard Gere!