Richard Gere is reflecting on his 20-year ban from the Oscars.
The 76-year-old actor has a new documentary film out titled Wisdom of Happiness about the Dalai Lama, a long-time friend of his. Since meeting him, Richard has been an outspoken advocate for Tibetan independence.
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During the 1993 Academy Awards, he spoke out against China’s policies in Tibet. After that, he wasn’t invited back as a presenter again until 2013.
Speaking with Variety about his documentary and relationship with the Dalai Lama, the star said his controversy “never came up.”
“They’ll tell him once in a while if I get an award or something and he sends a note, congratulating me, that he’s happy for me, But that’s about as close as it gets to actually talking about movies,” the Chicago actor revealed.
As for his personal feelings on the ban, Richard said he “didn’t take it particularly personally” and “didn’t think there were any bad guys in the situation.”
“I do what I do and I certainly don’t mean anyone any harm. I mean to harm anger. I mean to harm exclusion. I mean to harm human rights abuses, but I try to stay as close to where His Holiness comes from… that everyone is redeemable, and in the end, everyone has to be redeemed or none of us [are],” he shared. “So in that sense, I don’t take it personally.”
Richard recently shared what he loves most about living in Spain now.
Source: justjared.com
