Unromantic words from Richard Gere: “Relationships are like a commercial transaction”

Richard Gere (75) doesn’t seem to be as romantic in his private life as in “Pretty Woman”. In the December issue he talks about love as a transaction. Gere sees sexual relationships between men and women as more of a “trade transaction.”

“I give you something, and you give me something in return. That’s not really love, but an emotional transaction,” is how the Hollywood star apparently evaluates partnerships rationally. That’s why true love is so rare.

True love is found more in the relationship between parents and their children. “Nobody has to think for a long time about whether to do something. It happens spontaneously. You do what is necessary for your child,” says the father of an adult son, who has been married to Alejandra Gere for the third time since 2018. “Of course, it can frustrate you or drive you crazy because your attention is constantly being demanded. But underlying it all is a deep, unconditional love,” Gere adds.

It also only becomes easier for him to love other people as he gets older, “because I don’t wear so many protective coverings anymore.” Most adults are not open. “They isolate themselves and are unable to take off this armor,” complains the American. “I’ve had enough experience in the world to know what has meaning and what doesn’t. When I’m completely open and exposed, that’s when I feel alive.”

Speaking of liveliness: He doesn’t worry about the age difference with his wife Alejandra, who is 34 years his junior. “You and me and my wife will no longer exist in 100 years. Why should we fool ourselves? We have to come to terms with it.” He also doesn’t think about his artistic legacy: “When I’m lying on my deathbed one day, I certainly won’t think about my films,” emphasizes the 75-year-old.