Time flies when you’re making hit movies. And Richard Gere is finding out that if you stick around long enough, people appreciate you more.
Gere has been a major cinematic presence from 1977’s “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” to this year’s “The Hoax,” “The Hunting Party,” and “I’m Not There.”
At 58, he has been receiving more industry awards that ever before including the actor of the year prize for “The Hoax” at this week’s Hollywood Film Festival Awards Gala.
“I must be getting old enough because these awards seem to be coming my way,” Gere said during a chat at tea party in his honor prior to the ceremony. “It seems to be this time that people feel it’s important to give me these awards and I’m very thankful. It’s a good encouragement for me.”
Gere recalled a recent film festival in Spain where he received a lifetiime achievement award: "Before I went out on stage to accept this award, they had a four minute clip of almost all of my films and to see myself at 26 to 57, well 58 now, was staggering. I never look at my old work and it's hard for me to remember 30 years ago much less see myself at that time. It was a really pwerful thing. I thought, 'My God, all those movies?' And most of them I actually felt pretty good about."
So where does "The Hoax," just out on DVD last week, rate among his many roles?
"I like 'The Hoax' a lot. It's a really special movie. [Director] Lasse Hallstrom just did a wonderful job. He was working at the top of his abilities and just did something spectacuarly good. I wish it had done better commercially, but I think a lot more of people will see this on DVD than saw it in theaters. And that's great."
Despite a stellar filmography that includes leads in “Chicago,” “American Gigolo,” “Unfaithful,” “Shall We Dance,” “Pretty Women,” “Primal Fear,” and the upcoming “The Flock,” Gere does not hesitate when asked what his greatest accomplishment is: “Oh, my marriage [to actress Carey Lowell] and my children for sure. For sure. You care about everything else that you do and you want to have quality but the best of yourself you give to your family.”