COOTER FIGHT! Hauer, Stallone (inset)

In a new memoir, the Dutch actor, most famous for playing the replicant Roy Batty in Blade Runner, recalls a confrontation with Stallone during the making of Nighthawks in 1979.

After Rocky, Stallone, Hauer says, "had made a couple other films that didn't do very well," but they did little to curb his ego. "He had very definite ideas, opinions, and what have you—not just about his own character, but also about everybody else's character, the story, and everything."

In the film's climactic scene, Stallone was supposed to shoot Hauer, who would then fly backward through the air with the aid of a harness and cable. The stunt went smoothly in rehearsals, but in the first take, Hauer found himself yanked with startling violence. After interrogating the crew, he learned that Stallone had ordered them to increase the force of the pull. He sought out the star and warned him, "If you ever do that again, I'm going to break your fucking balls."

Elsewhere in the book, Hauer has nice things to say about two notoriously demanding directors: Paul Verhoeven ("more than good—he is often amazing,") and Ridley Scott ("He inspired confidence and he gave me the freedom to be creative.")

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