The Untold Truth Of Richard Gere

When Tom Cruise earned worldwide recognition in 1986 as the Navy bad boy Maverick in "Top Gun," the character wasn't a million years removed from the role Richard Gere played four years earlier in "An Officer and a Gentleman." Like Maverick, fellow Navy brat Mayo also wanted to fly jets. He was also a renegade who had a hard time with authority, carried himself with a certain arrogance, and had a habit of writing checks his body couldn't cash. Yet Mayo has a depth, a complexity, and a characterization that leaves Maverick looking like a one-dimensional fly-boy. In part that's due to the script and the themes of "An Officer and a Gentleman," but Gere's nuanced and brooding acting style also plays a major contribution.

Gere's role in "An Officer and a Gentleman" was career-defining and the key which unlocked the heart of a watching world. Yet it was by no means a fluke. The man from Philly has played a lot of parts in his 40-year-plus career, but he never goes into a role half-hearted, has a simmering intensity that's always engaging. As he told The Guardian, "Acting is a fraud – but if you don't fill it with the truth then it has no power." From "Breathless" and "The Cotton Club" to "Chicago" and "Time Out of Mind," Gere has packed a powerful punch. In his later years, he has been quite selective about the work he takes and admitted, "They don't send me stuff now unless the script is good because I don't want them to waste my time." You've seen the movies, read the PR, and now it's time to reveal the untold truth of Richard Gere.

Richard Gere explained in an interview with Lion's Roar that during his early twenties he felt unhappy, unfulfilled, and was constantly asking questions about the nature of existence. In his quest for meaning, he scoured late-night bookshops and read prolifically hoping to find something that helped him make sense of the universe. He eventually stumbled upon some books on Tibetan Buddhism by Walter Evans-Wentz and it ignited a life-long adherence to the Buddhist faith. Gere explained, "They had all the romance of a good novel," but added that the book's real strength was the revelation that living in the world and being detached from it were not mutually exclusive. Soon after Gere began studying in the Zen tradition under Sasaki Roshi.

Six years after becoming a Zen student, Gere met the Dalai Lama in India, who asked the actor if he was really angry and sad when he was playing a part. Gere admits he gave "some kind of actor answer" to which the Dali began to laugh hysterically at the very thought that Gere "would believe emotions are real." Gere explained that it was a life-transforming event meeting "His Holiness' and has since called him "my root guru." When asked if he brings a Buddhist approach to filmmaking, Gere explained that because in essence, film fragments time and space for a new "reality," he believes the process helps with "loosening the mind." He added that although, "we're the magicians doing the trick, even we get caught up thinking that it is all real."

The perceived slight from the Academy Awards was just the tip of a rather ugly iceberg. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gere reveals he believes that fateful night in 1993 has harmed his acting career and led to a lack of job offers. As someone who has enjoyed a long-term relationship with the Dalai Lama and is a committed Buddhist, Gere continued to be vocal in his support for Tibet. As well as rallying people to boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics, The Gere Foundation actively strives for the "cultural preservation of Tibet" and is firmly against the "continuing brutal occupation of the Chinese."

Gere believes that the strengthening of ties between the movie business and the authoritarian country, which is now the second-biggest market for films in the world, has hampered his opportunities. The former in-demand leading man explained, "There are definitely movies that I can't be in because the Chinese will say, 'Not with him!' I recently had an episode where someone said they could not finance a film with me because it would upset the Chinese." Yet the major studio's losses are the independent's gains. Since much of Hollywood turned its back on him, Gere's star has continued to shine in a series of low-key films that have earned him rave reviews. And as the man himself points out, "I'm not interested in playing the wizened Jedi in your tentpole."

If ever you're on the outskirts of New York, feeling a bit peckish and in need of spending some quality time in an eighteenth-century country inn that has been lovingly restored by its owner, then why not check out Richard Gere's Bedford Post Inn? New York Magazine reports that Gere opened the Inn with his former wife Carey Lowell, and although she once enthused her other half could boil "a wonderful egg," Gere explained, "I want this to be a place where the minds of people who could change the world would meet."

Gere stumbled upon the idea of buying the rotting historical landmark after riding past it on a horse trail and having a vision of rescuing it. The deal went down in 2007 and the local community embraced Gere and his Inn. "Everyone is welcome, but it's really for locals. There were really no good restaurants in the area." Since his separation from Lowell, the Inn now belongs to Gere and his business partner Russell Hernandez. As well as indulging in more "terrestrial delights" you can also feed the mind and enjoy a yoga course or two after booking in.

During his career, Richard Gere has attracted a lot of female attention. The final scene in "An Officer and a Gentleman," the smoldering gaze he uses to maximum effect in "Pretty Women," and the naked scene in "American Gigolo" have all conspired to give an extra little boost to the Gere effect. Yet even after nearly four decades in the biz, the famously grey-haired actor with the unusual middle name of Tiffany was still turning heads and winning votes as the sexiest man over 60. The 100,000-plus global network of females over 60 who make up Sixty and Me, voted the 65-year-old Gere their sexiest man of vintage in 2015.

It's not as ego-boosting as the sexiest man alive award he picked up in 1999, but it's still a strong honor to receive at any age. Gere was given the title because he has "a persona that appeals to women of all ages – intelligent, independent, playful, self-confident and sensual." Gere was described as "drop-dead gorgeous" and completely oblivious to the effect he has on the fairer sex. He was also given the label of being "beautifully humble while exuding charisma." In a nod to his Buddhist leanings they also called him sensuous but with an otherworldly detachment." If you could bottle that special something which Gere possesses in bucketfuls, then perhaps Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, Harrison Ford, and Jeff Bridges would be interesting in buying some. They all were runners-up to Gere in the sexy over-60 stakes. Never mind boys! It's not the winning, but taking part which counts.

Before he dropped out of university to pursue a career on the stage, Richard Gere always had one foot on it as a versatile musician. Gere played four different instruments in high school and wrote the scores for amateur productions. Gere explained to Interview that he used to play in a host of rock bands with names like The Strangers, and The Outsiders, and he took turns singing, playing guitar, tinkling the ivories, and once in a blue moon, bashing the drums. He said it wasn't a conscious decision to pursue acting but more of a direction that found him.

In the later years, Gere has been found playing the cello, and blowing the trumpet, which he perfected for his role in "The Cotton Club." Gere called the process magical and explained, "Through the process of practicing four hours a day you start focusing on emotion and when you pick up the trumpet it's filled with feeling." During the filming of "Chicago," Gere also added another string to his bow when he learned how to tap-dance from scratch. In an interview with The Early Show, Gere explained trying to become anywhere near plausible in the art of tap in a few months was both daunting and humbling. "I was very shy about it when I was learning it. And I'd be in a separate room and lock the doors. And no one was allowed to come in there, just me and my teacher," he said.