Richard Gere pretended to be homeless for a movie role and it changed it his life.
Richard Gere is currently working on the upcoming Oren Moverman’s movie ‘Time Out of Mind’. In fact, Richard Gere tried method acting to prepare for a role ‘Time Out of Mind’.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
Gere and the film crew made an effort to practice discrete filming to ensure naturalism, footage that ended up in the final cut of a film he co-produced.
“We set up the cameras in a Starbucks and I was around the corner in Astor Place,” Gere said.
“I came around the corner and was totally in character. I had my hat down and no one was paying me any attention. I had a coffee cup and started asking for change … ‘spare any change? … can you help me out?'” the actor said.
“We shot for 45 minutes. No one paid me any attention. Some people put some money into my cup. They did not make eye contact. I think I made about two and a half dollars. I was very unsuccessful as a bum on the street.”
Richard Gere revealed it was a very powerful experience.
“It was an incredibly profound experience. In my life there are a lot of expectations. I’m a movie star coming here. The same guy on a street corner with a coffee cup, no one pays any attention to,” he continued. “If anything the guy on the street corner is probably closer to who I really am than the movie star in a tuxedo on a red carpet.”
Richard Gere began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol. He went on to star in several hit films, including An Officer and a Gentleman, Pretty Woman, Primal Fear,Runaway Bride, Arbitrage and Chicago, for which he won a Golden Globe Award as Best Actor, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the Best Cast.
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