I remember when Richard Gere was a big-name actor and his films were important affairs that got wide theatrical releases. He was an A-lister.
What happened? Did he just get older and people lost interest?
Because I just got done looking over his filmography and almost none of his films from the last 10 years ring a bell with me. I remember when Arbitrage came out in 2012. That's his most recent film whose title I actually recognize.
I remember when Gere was mocked for criticizing China. Today it's totally fashionable and heroic to do so, and it's done primarily by the same political demographic that mocked Gere.
shareIt should be MORE fashionable to criticize China, but sadly, China's growing economic and military power means that far too many people and nations are cozying up to them instead.
shareHaving very little range as an actor caught up with him
shareHe got old.
In his younger days he got roles based on his looks. He was a style icon in the 80s. American Gigolo epitomised this.
That said, I think he is an underrated actor. He is surprisingly good in American Gigolo, which has far more substance than its given credit foe.
He's only 74. There are plenty of actors who have continued to work at a high level into their 70s. But regardless of that, his sudden decline in terms of being cast in noteworthy movies that got wide releases happened in the late 00s, right about the time he turned 60. I don't think it was the fact that he turned 60 that made producers suddenly disinterested in him.
shareI think he suffered from being typecast in that leading man, style icon mould. And probably after American Gigolo, Officer and a Gentleman, Pretty Woman, Internal Affairs etc not only do the fickle public start to tire of actors doing the same thing, but as he got older such roles are probably offered to him less and less.
I did enjoy him in Primal Fear and Hoax also. And let's not forget one of his earlier roles in Looking For Mr Goodbar.
You're correct that in his career he largely played the same kind of roles over and over. I'm not sure what his range is because I haven't gotten to see him play a wide variety of roles. He's usually good in whatever he appears in though.
Primal Fear is probably THE movie that first comes to mind when I think of him because, when I was in my teens, my brother brought the film home on VHS and we watched it and I just thought it was an incredible movie.
I also enjoyed First Knight and I think The Mothman Prophecies is a strange, but interesting, film.
For his later work, I really enjoyed Hachi: A Dog's Tale and, while it was not a great film, I think that Amelia is at least a better biopic than it's gotten credit for.
I haven't seen much of his later work but I saw Norman and I thought it was a great film and quite possibly Gere's best performance ever.
Have you seen it yet?
I would highly recommend it for Gere fans.
I have not seen it--or even heard of it before--but I just looked it up and the premise sounds interesting. I will have to check it out.
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