
From Runaway Bride to Chicago, Richard Gere has graced our screens for almost two decades as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
After working alongside Julia Roberts in cult classic rom-com Pretty Woman, Gere was further catapulted into fame, cementing his role as the industry’s leading heartthrob throughout the 80s and 90s.
But shortly after, the now 70-year-old actor began slipping from the spotlight.
In 2020, it’s been 12 years since Gere starred in a major Hollywood blockbuster, the last of which was 2008 film Nights In Rodanthe.
And according to Gere, there’s one reason behind it: China.
The 70-year-old’s choice to speak out against human rights violations in China has seen him blacklisted from major Hollywood films and award ceremonies.
Back in the 1970s, Gere, who has been a practising Tibetan Buddhist since his twenties, travelled to Nepal to meet Tibetan monks. He even became friends with the Dalai Lama himself.

In the following years, Gere used his celebrity status to speak out against China's occupation of Tibet. During his presentation for the Best Art Director award at the 1993 Academy Awards, he publically condemned China's "horrendous, horrendous human rights situation".
His outburst saw him banned from future Oscar ceremonies.