Why Tank Girl Star Lori Petty Was Fired From Demolition Man After Just A Few Days

Marco Brambilla's 1993 dystopian thriller "Demolition Man" has a fun and clever sci-fi premise. In the near future, a war is being fought between the ultra-destructive Los Angeles cop John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) and the ultra-evil super-criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes in a role nearly played by Jean-Claude Van Damme). In a sting-gone-wrong, several buildings are destroyed, and Spartan is imprisoned as a punishment. Rather than throwing him in a cell, however, the Department of Corrections uses a new form of cryogenic punishment, freezing Spartan for several years while he's fed subliminal mental corrections.

Spartan is then awakened in the year 2032, where several SoCal cities have merged into San Angeles, and the world has become ... a seeming utopia. Everything changed under the watchful eye of Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne), a ring-wing televangelist who banned crime, swearing, and salty foods. Also, people no longer touch one another physically and speak in a strange, ultra-polite patois. It's hardly a place a rough-hewn cop once known as the Demolition Man would call home. Spartan is shown the ropes by Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock), a 1990s enthusiast who is shocked by his foul mouth and slovenly demeanor. No points for guessing that Phoenix is similarly unfrozen in 2032 (or that something sinister lurks beneath Cocteau's utopia).

"Demolition Man" was a huge career boon for Bullock (this was shortly before "Speed"), so it may be surprising to learn that she wasn't the original choice for Huxley. Lori Petty, the star of "Point Break," "A League of Their Own," and "Free Willy" (and who would go on to headline "Tank Girl"), was originally cast in the role, and was no doubt perfect for it. However, Petty left the project two days into production because she and Stallone hated each other so much (per Entertainment Weekly).

Petty, it should be noted, is an expert in large, expressive performances. She tends to play her characters as spirited and humorous, often to the point of upstaging her co-stars. She was perfectly cast as Tank Girl, as that character is violent, horny, sarcastic, and zany. "Tank Girl" was a bomb, but Petty's performance garnered the film a passionate cult audience. Also, the movie's soundtrack rips. 

Playing Lenina Huxley, however, wound up being a bad experience for Petty. She's quoted in the pages of EW saying, "Sly and I were like oil and water." That was kind of it. Stallone was, recall, one of the largest power players in Hollywood at the time, commanding massive salaries, and overseeing the then-new restaurant chain Planet Hollywood. No doubt, he had the leeway to give a lot of creative input on the movie. And if he and his co-lead were butting heads and getting into arguments, then he could just have her fired. And, lo, Warner Bros. fired her.

In a 1993 article in Variety, it was reported that Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver had fired Petty for "creative differences," which is a catch-all code-term in Hollywood for "They were too creative for the studio." Petty left and went to work on more prestigious movies like John Singleton's "Poetic Justice" and Charles Burnett's "The Glass Shield." She also had a recurring role on the "21 Jump Street" spin-off series "Booker," as well as a regular role on the short-lived "Lush Life." She is dearly loved by her fans and one of the more striking actors around. 

Bullock, meanwhile, went on to appear in "Two If By Sea" with her "Demolition Man" co-star Denis Leary. She's been in a few other movies as well, apparently.