Richard Gere has spoken about how gruelling he found making 1977's *Looking for Mr. Goodbar*, an early psychological drama in his career that co-starred Diane Keaton. Gere recalled that the raw, explicit nature of the film left both him and Keaton anxious, and that the pair leaned on one another to get through demanding physical scenes together, only his second acting role in a film at the time.

The film, loosely based on Judith Rossner's 1975 novel and the real-life murder of schoolteacher Roseann Quinn, saw Keaton play a woman exploring her sexuality amid a mental health crisis, with Gere in a supporting role as an obsessive love interest. It broke new ground for its frank depiction of sexuality compared with more conservative Hollywood norms of the time, earning Oscar nominations for cinematography and Tuesday Weld's supporting performance, though Keaton missed out on a Best Actress nod because she was already nominated that year for *Annie Hall*. The film has since become difficult to access due to music licensing issues affecting its release on streaming and physical media.