When actor Gene Hackman found himself in a minor car accident on Monday in Los Angeles, he politely pulled his car to the side of the road to exchange insurance information with the other driver. However, the two much younger men in the Volvo that Gene allegedly hit had other plans and the three were soon involved in a tussle right out of a Hollywood film.
The 71-year-old Oscar winner collided with a Volvo station wagon on a busy street just off Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, witnesses report. The driver of the other car – an unnamed man in his 30s – became angry and reportedly began verbally abusing the Hoosiers star. “He was really close to Gene’s face and kept stepping up on him,” says one insider. “There was more of that for several minutes but Gene seemed to keep his cool… But then something was said and Gene just hit him four or five times.” That something was reportedly a derogatory word for homosexual.
Onlookers say Gene landed six punches before the driver’s friend kicked the actor in the groin and wrestled him to the ground. For the record, Gene says he doesn’t remember being kicked.
The Unforgiven star says the Volvo cut him off in an attempt to make a right turn from the left lane. “Gene hit the car from the the back,” reports his publicist, Dick Guttman. “He got out, said it was his fault. The men went to an island in front of a Virgin Records store to exchange information.” And that’s when the fight broke out.
Gene and the other two emerged with a few minor cuts and bruises. A spokesman for the police department initially said officers had forcibly broken up the fight, but later retracted that statement. Neither party decided to press charges and instead exchanged insurance information and carried on.
“Gene thought it was funny, really,” says Guttman. “He’s not a soft guy. He’s an ex-Marine and he can take care of himself. Really, he’s a very gentle guy, but anybody can be provoked.”
Heist, Gene Hackman’s latest film, opens across the US on November 9 before landing in the UK later in the month.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
