Freddy Lim invites Richard Gere to Taiwan for talks on human rights and film

林昶佐 邀請 李察吉爾 來台談論人權和電影

The former rock star turned legislator invites veteran celebrity to Taiwan


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Following Independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) inviting U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan on Wednesday (June 22), the former rock star welcomed American celebrity Rich Gere to Taiwan for human rights events.

During the eighth World Parliamentarians’ Conventions on Tibet (WPCT), Lim and Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) participated in the opening ceremony where the duo greeted the long-time Hollywood superstar, Richard Gere. As the chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, Gere, 72, served as one of the event’s key speakers, Liberty Times reported.

Lim shared a photo of himself and Gere on Facebook, saying that he is a big fan of Gere and has basically watched all of his films, such as “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “Pretty Woman,” and “Chicago.” Therefore, he was thrilled to invite Gere to Taiwan for human rights events and speak at film festivals, Lim said.

In a comment below the post by Hung, he pointed out that Gere spoke up for Tibet at the Academy Awards Ceremony in 1993, which successfully raised global awareness of the tragic political situation there.

According to Tibet Post International, the famous Oscar speech that called for Tibetan independence cost him his career in Hollywood. “I wonder if we could all send love and truth and sanity to Deng Xiaoping right now in Beijing, if maybe he will take his troops, take them away from Tibet and allow these people to live as free, independent people again,” Gere said in the ceremony.

However, the veteran actor said that China derailing his career has not impacted his life as much as people may think, as he is still doing the same thing as when he started, which is making small, interesting, character-driven, and narrative-driven stories.