The movie Richard Gere couldn’t believe he’d been cast in: “I would not hire me”
What ever happened to Richard Gere? He was a massive star in the 1980s and 1990s, the quintessential leading man that left both his co-stars and audience swooning en masse. With hits like Pretty Woman and An Officer and a Gentleman under his belt, he was surely untouchable, right? So why isn’t he in big movies anymore? The answer is, of course,
Gere became an increasingly fringe figure in Hollywood thanks to his beliefs surrounding Tibet. A devout Buddhist, the star was outspoken on the subject of China’s treatment of the region. This didn’t gel with an industry that was becoming increasingly reliant on Chinese money, so he had to look for other ways to indulge his creative passions. Gere started doing more independent movies, working on smaller, more character-driven pieces that a name of his calibre wouldn’t usually go near. This forced move resulted in some of the most interesting and varied performances of his entire career and arguably has kept him more relevant than if he’d kept doing blockbusters. Turns out karma might be a thing after all.
One product of this new phase of Gere’s career is the 2016 Norman. Our hero plays the titular role in this political drama, the English-language debut of Israeli director Joseph Cedar. He was a big fan of the project from the very start, to the point where he wasn’t sure he was the right man to bring it to life.
“I thought the script was great. And I read it and I remember saying, ‘Why me?’ If I was directing and producing it I would not hire me,” he told Deadline.” So we worked through that… I guess it just took us both to places that it wouldn’t have happened if we had just rushed it.”
Norman, or, to give it its full title, Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer, stars Gere as a powerful go-between for members of the city’s political elite. When the President of Israel visits, Norman is able to gain influence over him, which goes well until the politician is embroiled in a bribery scandal. Despite being a relatively obscure picture, Gere’s co-stars include Michael Sheen, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Steve Buscemi.
Despite his initial concerns, Gere ended up being the film’s undisputed highlight. In almost all of the positive reviews of Norman, his performance was singled out. He was praised for highlighting the role of a ‘court Jew’, a position in early modern Europe that was often used by subjugated Jewish people to climb the social ladder. There were issues raised surrounding Gere’s lack of Jewish heritage – he’s a Buddhist who was born into a Methodist family – and any film centring on Israeli politics is always going to catch flak, but from a pure performance standpoint, he’s undeniable.
The late career renaissance of Richard Gere has been an utter delight to behold. He might not have been sure of himself to start with, but he proved that he could handle the challenge of Norman, which he has since described as one of his favourite films.
