Richard Gere discusses his 20-year exclusion from the Oscars stage: 'I stay true to myself'

Richard Gere has opened up about his 20-year absence from the Academy Awards stage, a consequence of speaking out in support of Tibetan independence during his presentation at the 1993 Oscars. The American Gigolo actor emphasized that he did not take the ban personally and did not intend to cause harm.

In a recent interview with Variety, Gere stated, "I didn't take it particularly personally. I don't think there were any bad guys in the situation. I do what I do and I certainly don't mean anyone any harm."

Gere's reflections were part of a broader discussion about Wisdom of Happiness, a documentary on the Dalai Lama that he executive-produced. A long-time supporter of Tibetan independence, Gere explained that his advocacy at the Oscars was aligned with the Dalai Lama's teachings. "I mean to harm anger. I mean to harm exclusion. I mean to harm human rights abuses," he said. "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]."

The actor also mentioned that he has never discussed the Oscars incident with the Dalai Lama. "It never came up," Gere shared. "Occasionally, they tell him if I receive an award or something, and he sends a note of congratulations. But that's as close as it gets to talking about movies."

During the 1993 ceremony, while presenting the award for Best Art Direction, Gere directly addressed Deng Xiaoping, China's former leader. He criticized the Chinese government's human rights abuses, including its treatment of Tibet, and called for a peaceful resolution. Geres comments initially received applause, though Academy president Bob Rehme later criticized the political nature of the remarks, saying the Oscars are meant to celebrate cinematic achievements rather than global political issues.

Gere returned to the Oscars stage in 2013, presenting awards for Best Original Song and Best Original Score alongside his Chicago co-stars, a decade after the film's success at the 2003 ceremony. Reflecting on his return, Gere joked to the Huffington Post, "Apparently, I've been rehabilitated. It seems if you stay around long enough, they forget they've banned you."

Author: Chloe Ramirez