From American Gigolo to Pretty Woman, Richard Gere was at one point one of Hollywood's top
A-listers, but in recent years it appears as if he has opted to turn his back on Tinsel
Town to instead focus on indie releases.
For two decades between the release of 1982’s An Officer and a Gentleman and 2002’s Chicago,
it seemed like everywhere you looked, you saw Gere’s salt and pepper hair and warm
smile.
He was one of the biggest box office draws in the world of cinema and amassed a net worth
of more than $100 million.
So, it might seem a bit surprising that a star of his caliber would choose to stop starring
in mainstream films.
While many reports seemed to indicate that this decision was all Gere's own doing, he
has a different theory why Hollywood seemingly has dumped him.
We'll touch on that in just a minute – so bear with us.
But even though the big-budget roles aren't coming his way anymore, Gere seems to be perfectly
content with how things have unfolded.
Sure, the money might not be quite as good as it used to be, but the films that he has
gotten to star in recent years have allowed him to really step into his element – not
merely the one that Hollywood meticulously crafted for him.
By appearing in indie flicks, Richard Gere has been granted a great deal of creative
freedom.
If you’re a fan of Richard Gere this is one video that you won’t want to miss.
Join Facts Verse as we reveal why Hollywood Hates Richard Gere and why he likes it that
way.
The China Connection
You might not know this, but a surprising amount of financing that Hollywood relies
upon nowadays comes from China.
Incidentally, China is the country that Gere, who's a practicing Tibetan Buddhist and longtime
friend of the religious path's exiled spiritual leader, The Dalai Lama, notoriously disparaged
at the Oscars in 1993 when he went off-script while presenting the nominees for the art
direction category.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Gere revealed that there are movies that he can’t be in
because the Chinese government will take issue with it.
He went on to say that he recently ran into a situation where an unnamed filmmaker told
him that they could not finance a film with him in it because it might upset the Chinese.
In the three decades that have transpired since his unscripted Oscar China call-out,
in which he blamed the nation for 'horrendous human rights violations, Gere has doubled
down on his cause.
In 2008, he called for a boycott of the Olympics.
Part of that boycott would involve pressuring China to recognize Tibet as an independent
state.
Beyond that, Gere has regularly spoken out against the country in numerous interviews.
Clearly, he isn’t about to back down from his views – and honestly, we have to applaud
him for that.
Going up against a country as powerful as China takes a ton of courage.
Even though Gere has managed to maintain an active acting career appearing in indie flicks
such as Norman and The Dinner, he claims that even some smaller-budget films have balked
at the idea of bringing him on set.
In one situation he faced, he had agreed to do a project with a Chinese director.
Just two weeks before filming was supposed to commence, the director called him up suddenly
and told him he couldn’t go forward with it.
Since he was on a secure line, the director felt comfortable enough to explain that if
he had continued with the project, he and his family would never again be allowed to
leave the country and that he would also never be able to work again.
Richard Gere Isn’t Hurting
Although the situation that Gere finds himself in currently might not seem very ideal – especially
since he is no longer a contender to be featured in big-budget blockbusters and lucrative franchise
films, he isn’t regretting anything.
For one thing, ever since his career began to shift, he hasn’t had to don a tux again
nor is he contractually obligated to make any stuffy red-carpet appearances.
On top of that, he likes the fact that he doesn’t have to be one of Hollywood’s
pawns anymore.
Most importantly, Gere has something that Hollywood isn’t capable of giving him anymore.
He’s not only got his vast wealth, but he also has his freedom.
He’s been successful enough in the last three decades that he can afford to work on
smaller projects without worrying about the paycheck.
This means that he has the creative freedom to choose precisely what kind of films he
wants to appear in without worrying about losing his head if he slips up and says the
wrong thing.
Gere’s Feud With Debra Winger
When An Officer and a Gentleman hit theaters in 1982, audiences couldn't get enough of
the on-screen romance shared between the film's leads, Richard Gere and Debra Winger.
But, behind the scenes, the two stars were far less affectionate with each other.
Reportedly Gere and Winger did not get along on the film's set, and Debra had some less-than-flattering
things to say about her co-star after it was all over.
That being said, in the four decades since the film was released, the two actors have
been able to set aside their differences and move on.
They've even both had a laugh about the tension they once experienced around each other.
While they no longer seem to be on such negative terms, back in the day, it was widely reported
that Winger claimed Gere was like a ‘brick wall’ to work with on set.
Winger confirmed that she felt this way at the time when talking to The Guardian in 2002,
noting that the only comments that got published around that time were the ones that ‘ruffled
a few feathers.
Gere too confirmed that there was friction between him and his former co-star in his
memoir, An Actor and a Gentleman.
He wrote that onscreen chemistry between him and Winger was 'terrific', but it was an entirely
different story when the cameras were no longer rolling.
He went on to say that he and Winger couldn't have stayed 'father apart' from each other.
In 2018, while appearing on Watch What Happens Live, Winger explained that it wasn’t just
Gere who gave her trouble during the filming of the Officer and a Gentleman.
She explained that there were ‘bad men’ that were ‘running the show’ that took
the fun out of it.
She made it a point to note that it wasn’t director Taylor Hackford that she was referring
to but rather other ‘pigs’ from the studio that, as she put it, ‘dirtied the waters’.
When talking to The Guardian, Winger relayed how she and Gere still frequently run into
each other and that instead of holding grudges, they merely joke about their old feud.
Now that they both have moved on with their respective careers, they no longer hold on
to old sentiments.
In fact, in 2011 after Gere received a lifetime achievement award at the Rome Film Festival,
which Winger presented to him, she expressed gratitude for all of the kindness he had shown
her over the years and referred to him as a great human citizen of the world.
Later, Gere told Film Festival Traveler in 2012 that he hadn't seen Winger in a long
time and that it was nice to see her at the Rome Film Festival.
He then complimented her acting by saying that she has a 'really interesting quality.
He went on to praise her for being able to pull off being both open and unguarded and
nice at the same time – something he says that he's never been able to do.
So, while Gere and Winger may have at one point not had many nice things to say about
each other, it seems that all of that is just water under the bridge at this point.
Richard Gere’s Life Today
It’s been 14 years since Gere last starred in a major Hollywood film, but he’s managed
to keep himself busy both professionally and in his personal life.
In 2017, he appeared in two indie offerings, The Dinner and Three Christs.
On TV, Gere appeared in 8 episodes of the BBC thriller series MotherFatherSon in 2019.
Aside from acting, Gere has had his hands full, being a father of three children.
He made headlines in 2020 when he, at the age of 70, and his wife Alejandra Silver announced
the birth of their son.
Gere and his 39-year-old wife have another three-year-old son named Alexander.
He also has a 20-year-old son named Homer, who he had when he was married to his second
wife Carey Lowell.
Gere met Silva, who’s 33 years his junior when she was just a little girl since she
was a family friend.
Years after their first meeting, they reconnected in 2014 at a hotel she was managing in Italy.
After dating for four years, the couple wed in 2018.
The couple celebrated their four-year anniversary just a few months ago and seem to be doing
exceptionally well.
That about wraps up this video, but we’d love to hear from you.
Did you know that Richard Gere was blacklisted from Hollywood due to his views about the
Chinese government’s stance on Tibet
and that he’s been actively appearing in indie
films ever since?
Let us know in the comments.
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