American Gigolo the only role that Travolta has turned down only to be taken by Gere: it had previously happened with "Days of Heaven" (1978) and occurred again when Travolta was offered the lead in both "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982) and "Chicago" (2002). Paul Schrader had threatened to sue Travolta if Richard Gere wasn't cast in the film knowing full well that Travolta had his eye on the script of another Paramount production "Urban Cowboy" (1980). Gere's very brief nude scenes marked the first time a major Hollywood actor was frontally nude in a film. According to Gere, the nudity
American Gigolo direct influence on the film; the composition of the final shot draws heavily from the film, as does the final dialogue. Schrader later provided an introduction to the Criterion Collection DVD of "Pickpocket". On the film's ending, Schrader writes: "At the end of "American Gigolo", I wanted to perversely plunge my lizardy protagonist into icy Bressonian waters, so I lifted the ending of "Pickpocket" and gave it to Julian Kaye. A grace note as unwarranted as Christ's promise to the thief on the cross." Schrader re-visited many of the themes of "American Gigolo" in his 2007 film, "The Walker", and