Richard Gere is opening up on his 20-year ban from the Oscars. In 1993, the Pretty Woman star was barred from attending the prestigious award show after going off-script while presenting at the ceremony. At the time, he used the platform to denounce China's “horrendous, horrendous human rights issue” in Tibet. In an interview with Variety published Wednesday, the 76-year-old shared his feelings about the decades-long punishment he faced.
Richard Gere makes rare comment on his 20-year ban from the Oscars
“I didn’t take it particularly personally,” Gere said of his Oscars ban. “I didn’t think there were any bad guys in the situation. I do what I do and I certainly don’t mean anyone any harm. I mean to harm anger. I mean to harm exclusion. I mean to harm human rights abuses, but I try to stay as close to where His Holiness comes from… that everyone is redeemable, and in the end, everyone has to be redeemed or none of us [are]. So in that sense, I don’t take it personally,” he added, referring to the Dalai Lama.
Gere returned to the Oscars stage in 2013 after the ban was lifted the same year. However, he is still banned from China. He has been friends with the Tibetan spiritual leader for 45 years and has executive-produced a new documentary on him. Titled Wisdom of Happiness, the film explores the Dalai Lama's teachings. The 90-year-old speaks directly to the camera, raising awareness about the importance of finding inner peace, compassion, and happiness amid the hustle and bustle of the 21st Century.
In his recent interview, Gere also spoke about the Dalai Lama and whether his teachings could make an impact on someone like Donald Trump. “I don’t know that it would touch him,” the Primal Fear star said of the president. “I would hope that it would. I would pray that it would. But boy, I don’t know how you explain what he has done to this country, what it feels like to be an American now, 10 or 11 months in. It’s just astonishing. It’s beyond what anyone could ever imagine.”
{{/usCountry}}In his recent interview, Gere also spoke about the Dalai Lama and whether his teachings could make an impact on someone like Donald Trump. “I don’t know that it would touch him,” the Primal Fear star said of the president. “I would hope that it would. I would pray that it would. But boy, I don’t know how you explain what he has done to this country, what it feels like to be an American now, 10 or 11 months in. It’s just astonishing. It’s beyond what anyone could ever imagine.”
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