Richard Gere 'Felt Ashamed' Seeing 147 People Stuck on Boat - He Gave Them Food & Will Testify in Trial

• Richard Gere is back on screen after taking six years off acting.
• He spent his time away being a doting father to his two toddler sons, whom he shares with his wife, Alejandra Silva.
• During his time off, the actor was also fighting for the rights of refugees.

Richard Gere, an actor who has been in Hollywood for many years, made his acting comeback after a six-year hiatus from his work.

Gere is known for iconic films like "Runaway Bride," "Unfaithful" and more. The last time the actor was on a set was in 2017, and he spoke about what it was like to be back in action.

The "Pretty Woman" star said he wondered if he remembered how to act or if he was ever good at it. But he realized it was like riding a bike; once he started, it felt like second nature.

The years he spent away from the cameras were filled with quality time with his family and children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, movie sets were under strict conditions, so Gere decided to use the time off to enjoy fatherhood.

Gere reiterated, "I just stayed at home with my family… I mean, the protocols for making movies in that period were so daunting that I didn't really want to go through it."

Once the protocols loosened up, Gere was presented with a script by writer Michael Jacobs he could not resist. The actor was also excited to reconnect with people he had previously worked with.

Some of his cast members on the new project include Emma Roberts, niece of Julia Roberts, who was also excited to work with a legendary actor like Gere, as well as Susan Sarandon, William H Macy, and Diane Keaton.

The new film is called "Maybe I Do," and Gere's character is angry and fed up with getting old. However, in real life, aging has never been his worry. "Getting older is inevitable. I mean, it would be silly for people not to engage [with] it and even early on to just think about it, you know?" he said.

Gere might be in his 70s, but he is still an active father and has proven that it is never too late to get back to work.

Gere Helped Fight for Refugees

When Gere is not a doting father and husband, he's a humanitarian fighting for people's rights. The actor was listed as a key witness for the NGO's rescue boat, Open Arms, which had 147 people who were allegedly blocked from entering Italy.

Gere will be taking the stand to help build a strong case against the former interior minister Matteo Salvini, who is accused of attempting to block the 147 people on board.

The actor spoke about how saddened he was to see the passenger's desperation for safety as they arrived at the Italian island of Lampedusa. Gere confessed, "I felt ashamed that we have so much and are not able to embrace these fellow human beings, our brothers and sisters who were starving, traumatized."

He was aware that most of the refugees would not survive the journey back home. The devastation of returning would have had some people drowning themselves. He further explained, "I felt it was our responsibility to bring as much light as we could.”

Salvini will face 15 years of prison if the NGO wins the case. However, the date for Gere's testimony has not yet been set.

Richard Gere’s Marriage with Alejandra Silva

Gere and his wife Alejandra Silva have been married since 2018. The couple met in 2014 after the actor fought hard to get her to go on a date.

The "Runaway Bride" actor sent Silva flowers every day until she agreed to go out with him. Silva was swept off her feet by Gere's romantic gestures. "He is the most humble, sensitive, affectionate, attentive, funny, generous man that I've ever met," gushed the mother of two.

The actor is 33 years older than Silva, but she does not mind it. She believes fate brought her and Gere together and feels like the luckiest woman alive.

Silva might have married a famous actor but has a career too. She works as a publicist and political activist for the Rais Foundation, a non-profit organization trying to help end homelessness in Spain, her home country.

In 2018 after the couple tied the knot, they announced that they were expecting their first child together, and their son Alexandra was born in 2019. The publicist was excited to step into motherhood; she expressed, "I was a little lost … without light, and knowing him gave meaning to my life."

The couple welcomed a second son in 2020, but his name is yet to be revealed. Gere also has another son, Homer, with his second wife, Carey Lowel.

Despite becoming a father again at an older age, Gere was more than excited. In fact, he said his toddlers do not allow him to think about getting old; he is simply happy to watch his children grow.

Now that the actor is back on screen, not only will his four-year-old and three old sons keep him busy, but he will have to juggle his active life as a father with reading through multiple movie scripts.

In the spirit of getting back to work, Gere decided to sell his $24 million New York home and downsized to a smaller mansion for $9.8 million, not too far from his former house.

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