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
Title role Title role The title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in "Aida", "Giselle", "Michael Collins", or "Othello". The actor, singer, or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the "title role". The performer playing the title role is not always the lead and the title role may or may not be the protagonist. In the television miniseries "Shogun", for example, Toshirō Mifune had the title role, but the lead was played by Richard Chamberlain. In the James Bond novel "The Man with the Golden Gun", the