Richard Gere addresses inaccurate, viral Facebook post
Sure, Richard Gere may have played a homeless man in Time Out of Mind, a film released in September in which Gere portrays a mentally ill homeless man, but some of his fans are taking things a little too far.
Sure, Richard Gere may have played a homeless man in Time Out of Mind, a film released in September in which Gere portrays a mentally ill homeless man named George, but some of his fans are taking things a little too far.
The Unofficial: Richard Gere Facebook fan page posted an image of Gere portraying his homeless character with a quote the page attributed to Gere. It read:
"When I went undercover in New York City as a homeless man, no one noticed me. I felt what it was like to be a homeless man. People would just past (sic) by me and look at me in disgrace. Only one lady was kind enough to give me some food. It was an experience I'll never forget. So many times we forget how blessed we are. We should not take that for granted. And if we can help someone in need, we should. That's why after I was done, I walked around and gave food and $100 to every homeless person I saw. They cried and were so grateful. Be the change you wish to see in the world."
Since being posted, the quote was shared hundreds of thousands of times, drawing Gere's attention.
Despite not having a Facebook account of his own, Gere took to his costar Jena Malone's page to explain the he did not, in fact, say that.
Gere clarified that he wasn't going undercover as the fan page post suggested, but was acting for Time Out of Mind.
"I was completely surprised to find that last week someone posted a photo of me on a Facebook fan page as a homeless man on the streets of New York that drew 1.6 million likes and over half-a-million shares," the actor wrote. "While the story that accompanied the photograph was somewhat fictional (especially the $100 hand-outs)," he continued from Malone's page, "it seemed to have touched something important in people."
As a result, Gere said he and the Time Out of Mind director Oren Moverman will be holding a Facebook conversation about homlessness "and how it impacts your lives," on Wednesday, Oct. 28 from Malone's Facebook page.
"I'd like to find…what we can do together to make something meaningful happen for our homeless brothers and sisters," Gere wrote.
During a stop in Philadelphia to promo the film, Gere did speak about his experience portraying a homeless man, saying he noticed people "were actively not paying attention" to him because of his appearance. And even though Gere may not be handing out $100 bills, he advocates for helping the homeless monetarily.
He said, "The answer is to have a roll of one-dollar bills. You can afford it. Give every time. It's good for them, and it's good for you. A dollar is not going to change their life, or yours, but it changes something, the energy that happens when you give from a place of genuine compassion. You're saying, 'I wish you happiness, and I don't want anything in return, and it's not my job to monitor what you do with this buck.'"
Gere, a Philadelphia native, was at the city's National Constitution Center Monday to accept an award for the Dalai Lama, who was forced to cancel his appearance due to health issues.