Richard Gere has spoken out about being banned from the Oscars for 20 years after he went off-script during the 1993 ceremony to denounce China's human rights record in Tibet. The 76-year-old actor, known for his activism, said in an interview with Variety that he did not take the ban personally.
“I didn’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 said. He added that his activism was inspired by the Dalai Lama, though he never discussed the controversial speech with him.
During the 1993 Oscars, Gere was presenting the award for Best Art Direction when he called on then-Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping to withdraw troops from Tibet. The speech was met with applause in the auditorium, but Oscar producer Gil Cates condemned it as “arrogant” and said he would not invite Gere back.
Cates told the Los Angeles Times at the time: “For someone who I invite to present an award to use that time to postulate a personal political belief I think is not only outrageous, it's distasteful and dishonest.” Gere, who is banned from China, did not return to the Oscars stage until 2013.
