Old images of Richard Gere dressed as a hobo are being brought back into the spotlight. Years later, many are stunned after recognizing the star who went along with a kind stranger’s good deed.
Hollywood icon Richard Gere, 74, has played a lot of roles throughout his career that show how diverse the actor’s skills are. One such role saw him transform into a homeless man in 2014. At that time, many had no idea it was for a film, let alone the fact that it was Gere. Years later, our AmoMama readers are still surprised by the old media of him in character.
Roaming the streets of New York City, Gere was completely unrecognizable to the public. “40 minutes plus – no one made eye contact with me… I was in one of the busiest places in New York. If I had been Richard Gere there, I wouldn’t have lasted 30 seconds,” Gere previously shared.
Various pictures show the “Runaway Bride” star dressed in a charcoal beanie, beige scarf, a long-sleeved shirt, and olive-colored pants.
Gere also sported a slightly dirty raincoat in some snapshots and was spotted sitting next to actor Ben Vereen, who played the role of another homeless man in the movie.
Additional media shows the actor walking around with plastic bags. In these images, a few citizens looked on as Gere walked past them during the filming of the movie.
Unbeknownst to most at the time, Gere was playing the role of a man named George who had the desire to repair his estranged relationship with his daughter, Maggie, who was played by actress Jena Malone.
While seeking refuge at a shelter for homeless men called “Bellevue Hospital,” George strikes up a friendship with a fellow client at the facility who helps him try to repair the relationship with his daughter. The movie in which Gere played this character is called “Time Out of Mind.”
AmoMama readers who have seen our recent throwback post of the viral moment are still shocked by the fact that the homeless man was Gere, even years after his identity was revealed. “I wouldn’t have recognized him,” asserted a reader.
Another expressed, “Wow! I remember him in [‘Pretty Woman’], an old movie.” In addition to their surprise, many commented on the fact that, with his role as George, Gere spotlighted the seriousness of homelessness issues in society.
“WOW. [Not] surprised though. That’s New York City for you. [It’s] sad though…. Very sad!!!!” exclaimed a reader on Facebook. Echoing a similar sentiment, another added, “OMG..if [it’s] true 😔 [it’s] so sad 😢 but I don’t know what they [are] doing in Hollywood to [these] people 😠.”
Praising Gere’s actions, someone else chimed in with, “Amazing. I’m glad he did this, taking a good look at OUR SOCIETY.”
At the time the movie was still in production and when the public still believed him to be just another homeless man on the streets, a well-intentioned French mom, who saw Gere and felt sorry for him, offered him food.
Not recognizing the actor or the fact that he was feigning homelessness for the film, Karine Gombeau, who was visiting New York from Paris with her family, noticed Gere sifting through a garbage can near Grand Central Terminal.
Heartbroken by what she saw, Gombeau decided to give Gere some leftover slices of a big pizza that she, her husband, and their son had ordered at an Italian eatery. Approaching the “Unfaithful” talent with the pizza, Gere asked, “What’s in the bag?”
Gombeau recalled how she had tried to respond in English but ended up answering in a mix of English and her native language—French. “I said, ‘Je suis désolée [I am sorry], but the pizza is cold,” revealed the French tourist. “He said, ‘Thank you so much. God bless you,'” Gombeau divulged further.
It wasn’t until Gombeau received a story copy of her good deed, which was written by The Post, two days later that she learned that Gere was only pretending to be homeless. She said a worker at the Salisbury Hotel, where she was staying at the time, gave the article to her.
Much to her surprise, Gombeau found a photo of herself with Richard Gere inside the article. “It was magical … It’s crazy, this story. It’s unimaginable that something like this could happen,” she previously marveled.