Why Hollywood Won't Cast Richard Gere Anymore

Once upon a time, Richard Gere was a major movie star, a heartthrob who was also well-regarded
for his dramatic skill in films like An Officer and a Gentleman and Pretty Woman.
And then he seemed to vanish from mainstream Hollywood.
Here's a look at the reasons why Hollywood won't cast Richard Gere anymore.
Meh
When Gere began his career in the late 70's and early 80's, he quickly became a critical
darling.
But over the years, critics have become less enamored with his choice of roles, with films
like Intersection, King David, The Jackal, and Amelia all getting less than stellar reviews.
That would be fine if his films were making major bank, but they aren't.
2009's Amelia earned just $19.6 million against a $40 million budget, while the 2011 thriller
The Double brought in just $3.9 million against a $13.5 million budget.
Even his 2008 Nicholas Sparks adaptation Nights in Rodanthe was a bit of a bummer, taking
in only $41 million domestically, not even close to the box office figures earned by
other Sparks films.
That's the sort of thing Hollywood definitely noticed.
He doesn't diversify
Apart from a couple of documentaries and TV movie roles long ago, Gere has almost exclusively
appeared on the silver screen since the '70s, which means he completely missed the whole
"golden age of television" wave that movie star peers like Glenn Close have latched onto.
Gere has also avoided the Broadway stage for decades, despite originally getting his start
in theater and starring in the hit film adaptation of Chicago.
There may be opportunities for Gere outside of film, but if so, he doesn't seem very interested
in them.
Religion and politics
Gere has been an active active practitioner of Buddhism since his early 20s, and he's
not shy about putting his beliefs before business.
His criticism of the Chinese government in favor of Tibetan freedom at the 1993 Academy
Awards earned him a 20 year ban from the Oscars, as well as a lifetime ban from visiting the
People's Republic of China.
"Take the Chinese away from Tibet allow these people to live as free independent people
again."
That hasn't kept Gere from continuing his activism around what the star calls "China's
horrendous, horrendous human rights situation."
He even testified before Congress.
As a result, Gere has essentially been blacklisted from Chinese cinema, which is a problem these
days given China is expected to soon overtake America as the biggest box office in the world.
That has severely limited his opportunities, with Gere even telling The Hollywood Reporter
that one project was canceled because the Chinese director was told that if he worked
with Gere, he and his family "would never have been allowed to leave the country ever
again, and he would never work."
"Inclusive societies become great societies.
Brutalizing your own people is not a way to greatness."
Still, even without Hollywood's movie machine, Gere has plenty of other concerns to occupy
his time.
He co-founded the humanitarian non-governmental organization Tibet House and engages in a
great deal of relief work across the globe, including tribal protection efforts as well
as AIDS awareness and education campaigns.
And instead of big blockbuster parts, Gere is satisfied to pursue small budget films
with personal meaning, saying "I was successful enough in the last three decades that I can
afford to do these [smaller films] now."
Divorce drama
Gere may not be acting much because he's been too busy hashing out the details of his divorce
from former model Carey Lowell.
According to People, the couple wed in 2002, split 11 years later, and finally finalized
their divorce in October 2016.
They've spent the interim reportedly haggling over finances and custody arrangements for
their teenage son, Homer.
Gere has since been linked to Spanish socialite Alejandra Silva, who is more than 30 years
his junior.
"It's believed the duo were seeing one another for at least a year before going public with
their romance" at the Taormina Film Festival in Italy in June 2016, reported the Daily
News.
And that may lead to even fewer major movie roles for the actor, as Radar Online reported
that Gere is "quitting Hollywood" and plans to "hightail it to Europe with his ladylove
and live a quieter life."
Turning it around
Regardless of what roadblocks his stance on China have caused him, Gere still gets work,
even if it's in films most people have never heard of.
The New York Times said he's "never been better" than he was in the comedy thriller Norman,
while Deadline wrote that his turn in the mystery-thriller The Dinner proves that he
is "in the midst of an impressive indie renaissance."
And he's even using those films to highlight his political beliefs.
"Unfortunately we have leaders that stimulate fear and that fear causes us to do really
terrible things."
So this is actually a great time to be a Gere fan - as long as you don't mind doing a little
extra work to track down the obscure films he's starring in these days.
Who needs Hollywood, right?
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Why Hollywood Won't Cast Richard Gere Anymore

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