Richard Gere’s acting career was interrupted some years ago, probably due to his utterings that upset Hollywood’s financiers. He’s now had to downgrade his lifestyle by relocating somewhere cheaper.
Over the years, Richard Gere fans must have noticed that the famous actor doesn’t appear in movies as much as before. However, the significant change wasn’t because he got old, outdated, or retired.
In 2017, Vanity Fair revealed how China financed a good chunk of Hollywood. During 1993’s Oscar Awards, Richard disparaged China while giving an off-script speech on stage in favor of Tibet’s people.
The Tibetan Buddhist and a friend of the religion’s exiled leader, the Dalai Lama, explained an incident that once happened to him, probably leading to his exclusion from the big screen. Richard said he had a project he was set to work on with a Chinese director that fell through.
Two weeks before the shooting began, the director called him on a protected line and told him they couldn’t work together. If the actor had worked with the director, he and his family would’ve been confined to China, and he’d never get to work again with Richard stating:
“I recently had an episode where someone said they could not finance a film with me because it would upset the Chinese.”
However, the star wasn’t bitter about being kicked out of Hollywood and not getting roles anymore. Instead, he’s “fine” with not having to don a tuxedo for red-carpet appearances that were contractually obligated, with him noting, “I’m not interested in playing the wizened Jedi in your tentpole.”
Besides, the actor has found freedom and continued raising his finances through more minor film roles. Richard told Vanity Fair that he’d become so successful over the last decades that he could afford to do the movies.
An added benefit of being pushed out of Hollywood was having plenty more time on his hands. The “Pretty Woman” star could now focus more on his family life and children.
Richard Gere’s Focus on Marriage and Children
Although one door closed for Richard, another opened when he found love. In 2014, he met a woman who was 33 years younger than him and who’d later become his wife.
The “Primal Fear” actor kept sending Alejandra Silva flowers after falling for her. He only stopped when she finally relented and agreed to go on a date with him, and little did she know that they were meant to be.
Richard was married twice before he met Silva; with his second ex-wife, Carey Lowell, the star welcomed his first child and son, Homer James Jigme, in 2000. The Golden Globe Award winner’s divorce from Lowell was finalized in 2016.
However, the pair continued co-parenting their son. By 2018, Richard and Silva’s relationship had become so serious that the couple tied the knot that April, with the actor opening up to People magazine in September about their relationship, stating:
“Our karma was attracted the moment we saw each other. I’m not ignoring our age difference and what it means to be with a Hollywood star, but when there’s such a strong karmic energy, the problems disappear.”
Silva, an activist, also came into the new marriage with a son, Albert, who she had with Govind Friedland, her first husband. She and Richard have generally opted for a life of privacy and out of the media.
In February 2019, the couple welcomed their first child and son together, Alexander. The pair’s relationship seemed to be going well, and in 2019, Silva revealed how she didn’t have any regrets about meeting the actor, saying:
“He is the most humble, sensitive, affectionate, attentive, funny, generous man that I’ve ever met.”
She told Hola! she was “so in love” and shared how Richard spent each morning asking her what would make her happy that day. Silva became the envy of all women when she said not a day went by when her husband didn’t mention how important she was to him
In April 2020, Richard and his wife were blessed with another son. Even though the Chicago star now has more children, that doesn’t mean he’s neglected Homer, whom he once called the “joy of my life.”
In 2015, the Spanish publicist’s famous husband told the Hindustan Times that his film decisions were mostly his, but he was careful about maintaining contact with Homer. He said he’d talk to his son about it whenever he had to go away for extended periods.
The three-story home also had a soccer field, swimming pool, basketball court, and dining pavilion.
If there were any issues, Richard would opt not to take the project with him confessing how “family is more important than anything.” The star still spent quality time with Homer, as seen in 2019.
During an interview with Extratv for the film “Maybe I Do,” Gere spoke about the work that goes into making a relationship work. He emphasized that marriage was as much an individual journey as a collaboration because a person is ever-changing.
Therefore, as one person experiences changes, it is crucial to keep checking in with the other and find out if the person they are becoming is aligned with the kind of partner they want. If both parties get to the point of not being on the same page, it might be easier to let the marriage go.
Downgrading His Home for Something Cheaper
In 1986, the “American Gigolo” star bought his property for $1.51 million, and he purchased neighboring homes over the years to create his compound. His Colonial-style mansion, where he lived with his family, boasted guesthouses and a stable.
Richard’s home was around 50 miles outside Manhattan in Pound Ridge. The town hosts other celebrities like Tom Brokaw, Ryan Reynolds, and Mike Myers, with Silva’s husband’s home sharing a border with Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.
Richard’s mansion featured natural elements like rolling hills, a private lake with a beach, and weeping willows. The three-story home also had a soccer field, swimming pool, basketball court, and dining pavilion.
The “Runaway Bride” actor’s 11,658 square feet New England-style main house boasts ten bathrooms, eight bedrooms, a sunroom, a library, a modern kitchen, and a living room with a floor-to-ceiling fireplace.
In 2021, Richard put the home on the market for $28 million. However, the actor has been reported to be the new owner of the New Canaan, Connecticut estate, which belonged to the musical duo Paul Simon and Edie Brickell.
The 31.8-acre property was initially listed at $16.5 million in 2002. In 2019, the listing price went down to $13.9 million, then dropped to $11.9 million. The home was put on the market again in 2021 for $12 million.
Gere ended up buying the home for $10.8 million. The property is scenic with its terraced patios, a pool, a beautiful garden, natural ponds, and waterfalls.
Life in the countryside has been enjoyable for Gere and his wife. His wife shared a photo on Instagram of her milking a cow. She expressed that living in the city had taken away the simplest pleasures of life and the opportunity to connect with nature.
Silva is determined to teach her children some of the basic ways of living that nature offers. She believed these were some of the crucial values to pass down to her kids. The publicist also shared another photo of her livestock and how much the kids loved helping with feeds.