Donald Trump Is, and Always Will Be, a Clown

Smiles and autographs aside, Richard Gere has shown during his stay at the San Sebastian Film Festival that to be a movie star is compatible with solidarity towards the most disadvantaged and that he has no qualms about criticizing Donald Trump.

“He is, and will always be, a clown, “the actor bluntly says of the Republican candidate for U.S. president.

In an interview, Gere says that if Trump reaches the White House, he will turn his country into a “nightmare” and he is convinced that “these types of persons, of which there are examples in Europe, are an expression of the state of confusion abroad in the world these days.”

Accompanied by his Spanish girlfriend, Alejandra Silva, in the northern Spanish city since yesterday, Gere presented at the San Sebastian Film Festival “Invisibles,” a film in which he tries to get into the skin of the homeless of New York, where he and his girlfriend met.

This film, he says, has “moved” him, and made him feel some of the most special moments of his life by sharing experiences with the homeless with whom he has continued his friendship.

He recalls that during filming, with cameras always located far away from the characters, he was dressed as a homeless man in a square in New York for 45 minutes and, “for the first time in a 40-year career,” nobody recognized him.

“And what is worse, nobody looked me in the eye,” says the actor, emphasizing that in this film he tried to “immerse himself “into the harsh reality and convey “how it feels to not have a roof – the anxiety and marginalization that this causes.”

In any case the film transcends and deals with a universal theme like “who we are, our place in the universe,” says the actor, a fervent follower of Buddhism.

Within hours of arriving at San Sebastian, Gere, 67, visited a center of the RAIS Foundation, which works with the disadvantaged, and where Alejandra Silva is a patron. It is a cause that factors in almost all of Gere’s public activity in the city.

“This is not about us being Gere and his girlfriend,” says the actor, who does not skimp on praise for his partner.

“She organized everything, especially in publicizing the work of the RAIS Foundation, a cause that requires not only spiritual support but also financial support,” he said, noting that in the press presentation of his film he spoke very little about the film and a lot about the disadvantaged.

Over his career, which has focused more on small productions in recent years with works like “The Hunting Party,” “Always by Your Side” or “Hachiko,” he says he “never followed a plan when choosing roles,” and doesn’t know of any “key” to his longevity in the film industry.

“It’s funny, but in the 70s,” he adds, “studios produced small films with interesting scripts that are now classified as independent films.”

The star of “Pretty Woman” says with some pride that he has “not made a film of violence or with a budget of millions of dollars in [his] life because [he] never wanted to.”

“I have not worked in Los Angeles for 25 years,” says the New Yorker, born in Philadelphia, who proceeds wryly that “unfortunately (alluding to his girlfriend), from now on I’ll have many repeat trips to Spain.”

Cordial and with good humor despite the effect of a “terrible jet lag,” Gere believes people “have a misconception” about actors.

“We have a normal life, with families, teens who cause problems and children for whom breakfast has to be prepared.”

At this point Alejandra Silva intervenes and attests that her boyfriend prepares excellent breakfasts.