Richard Gere says being hungry was 'normal' before he found fame
Hollywood actor Richard Gere has admitted feeling hungry was 'normal' for him before he shot to fame and he was so broke he mostly lived off a diet of eggs
Richard Gere says feeling hungry was "normal" before he shot to fame and he mostly lived off eggs because he was so broke.
The 'Pretty Woman' star has opened up about his years as a struggling actor before he made a name for himself in Hollywood in 1980 film 'American Gigolo' - revealing he struggled to make ends meet and could barely afford food.
Speaking to New York Post column PageSix, he explained: "My go-to meal was eggs. Going out to eat at restaurants was not even a real thing for me. Those were some hard desperate times ..
"I was starving during the ’70s as an actor just at the start of my career, just trying to making it. I was lucky enough to work, but there weren’t many actors making any money back then ...
"In New York nobody made any money. Unfortunately, hungry was a normalcy. Being hungry was the norm for many people, but especially actors starting their journey in New York."
Gere served as served as the co-chair for City Harvest’s 40th Anniversary Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street - and he said he's proud to support the charity which collects unwanted goods from restaurants, bakeries, and cafes and distributes them to community food programs across New York City.
He added: "Food is a life necessity and many do not have that need met in America. Everything is so damn expensive now. So I am happy to lend my hand when it comes to people getting a nutritional meal. It is a basic human right."
