Why Debra Winger Found Working With Richard Gere Challenging

Debra Winger gained fame through her roles in hit movies during the 1980s.

Following the success of “Urban Cowboy” alongside John Travolta in 1980, she received Best Actress Oscar nominations for her performances in “An Officer and a Gentleman” and “Terms of Endearment” in 1982 and 1983, respectively.

Although Winger shared great onscreen chemistry with her co-stars, particularly noted by John Travolta himself, there was one exception to this rule.

Despite portraying a captivating duo on screen as Paula Pokrifki and Zack Mayo in “An Officer and a Gentleman,” her off-screen dynamic with Richard Gere was notably strained.

According to Louis Gossett Jr., their co-star from the film, in his book “An Actor and a Gentleman,” Winger and Gere maintained a distant relationship when the cameras were not rolling.

Gere acknowledged the existing tension between them, and Winger openly referred to him as an unyielding co-star.

In a candid interview with the Daily Mail in 2009, Debra Winger disclosed that her uneasiness about her acting abilities occasionally led her to express frustration towards her co-stars during filming.

While she confessed to directing her frustrations towards everyone on set, she specifically addressed her sentiment towards the movie she starred in alongside Gere.

She asserted her lack of affection for “An Officer and A Gentleman” both then and now, ensuring her stance remained consistent.

Regarding her comparison of working with Gere to a “brick wall,” Winger, in a recent conversation with The Telegraph, expressed regret over her choice of words, acknowledging she could have been more diplomatic.

She humorously shared that Gere, upon their occasional encounters, would teasingly question her about persisting with such comments.

Beyond her clash with Richard Gere, Debra Winger encountered discord with other individuals on various film sets.

She once labeled Taylor Hackford, the director of “An Officer and a Gentleman,” as challenging.

Additionally, she departed from a role in the popular 1992 film “A League of Their Own” due to Madonna's involvement, criticized John Malkovich as merely a “catwalk model” during their work on “The Sheltering Sky,” and questioned Shirley MacLaine's honesty despite maintaining a warm friendship with her.

Despite their past conflicts, Debra Winger and Richard Gere seemed to have reconciled over time.

During the Rome Film Festival in 2011, Gere graciously acknowledged Winger's contribution to their shared success on “An Officer and a Gentleman” while accepting an award, signifying a sense of closure between the former colleagues.