10 Times There Were Fistfights On Movie Sets

Fighting and filmmaking seemingly go hand-in-hand - but who won these brawls?

Any Given Sunday Pacino Foxx LL Cool J
Warner Bros.

Shooting either a film or a TV show can often be a stressful affair, with plenty of money at stake and a lot of egos in play. Sometimes, any combination of circumstances can combine to bubble over into an altercation and occasionally can even see punches start to be thrown.

This can stem from creative differences, from personal dislikes, or even a breakdown in what was previously a good relationship, but there have been multiple times when tempers have frayed badly enough that it has gotten physical on set.

Now, it is likely that these sorts of situations have taken place so many more times than we'll ever know, but just it has not become pubic knowledge. After all, it's almost universally in the interest of film studios and the parties involved to keep these sorts of things under wraps - and rumours of tensions on sets have been known to sink projects before they've even made it to completion.

Here are ten times that the fists (allegedly) started to fly - with the caveat that, thankfully, no-one was seriously injured in any of these altercations.

10. Sylvester Stallone Vs. Richard Gere

Any Given Sunday Pacino Foxx LL Cool J
United Artists/Paramount Pictures

If we were to tell you that someone had a fight with Rocky and Rambo star Sly Stallone on set, you'd probably be curious as to who would be stupid enough to take him on. If you guessed that it was Richard Gere then you've probably cheated and looked it up.

When shooting 1974's The Lords of Flatbush, the two men had a falling out. Surprisingly - according to Stallone, at least - it was Gere who started it, becoming overly aggressive during a scene. When Stallone told Gere to calm down and ease up, it became a point of friction between the two.

There was then a second incident where Gere allegedly spilt some food inside of Stallone's car while the two were having lunch. This resulted in Gere eating an elbow to the side of his head and being tossed from the (parked) vehicle.

Bizarrely, Elton John of all people recounts a story many years later when the two men nearly began to fight again at a dinner party. To hear Elton tell it, there was some sort of falling out over the attentions of Princess Diana that nearly resulted in violence between the pair.

A truly crazy situation.

Verdict: Stallone victory

Contributor
Contributor

Matthew is a Marine Engineer to trade who writes sub-standard Scottish crime fiction in his spare time that can be found here:- https://mmacleodwriting.uk/ Originally brought up in the Western Isles of Scotland, he lived in Edinburgh for 18 years but now stay in Aberdeenshire with his partner, sons and dog.