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Thursday, November 26, 2015

Richard Gere’s Zen Exterior Cracking Under Weight of Divorce from Carey Lowell

The Buddhist actor was spotted jabbing at a reporter with his umbrella

Richard Gere's Buddhist Zen exterior is cracking. (Photo: J. Countess/Getty Images)
Richard Gere’s Buddhist Zen exterior is cracking. (Photo: J. Countess/Getty Images)

Richard Gere made it through 30 years being dreamy. Few other stars from his era emanated the same particular brand of sophisticated sex appeal. The other sexiest men alive from the ’90s, say, Tom Cruise or Nick Nolte, always seemed a little odd and crazy, even before we knew they were just downright crazy. Meanwhile, Richard Gere seemed cool and unflappable in a way reminiscent of stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood—Cary Grant springs to mind.

It helped that Mr. Gere devoted his personal life to noble causes. He was outspoken about raising HIV/AIDs awareness. He also defended animal rights, and talked about how, “As custodians of the planet it is our responsibility to deal with all species with kindness, love, and compassion.”

Mr. Gere and Ms. Lowell in 2012. (Photo: Roger Kisby/Getty Images)
 Mr. Gere and Ms. Lowell in 2012. (Photo: Roger Kisby/Getty Images)

A lot of his quotes, or at least the quotes that ended up on the Internet next to a picture of his face, dealt with taking a peaceful path through life. Which made sense; Richard Gere is a Buddhist who is known for hanging out with the Dalai Lama and working to save Tibet.  Barring that one pervasive rumor about the gerbil, he seemed to have coasted into old age with elegance and grace. He just played the new, sexiest grandpa in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

And now he is getting divorced and attempting to stab reporters with an umbrella. Really. An excerpt from Page Six in October reported that, during his divorce from Carey Lowell, his wife of 12 years:
“The Pretty Woman actor stormed into a Manhattan courthouse Thursday to attend the first hearing in his icy divorce battle with wife and former ‘Bond girl’ Carey Lowell—while jabbing his umbrella at a photographer. Gere—wearing meditation beads on his left wrist and carrying an orange canvas bag from a 2009 Tibetan prayer festival called the Kagyu Monlam—nastily wielded the pointy black umbrella like a sword.”

Somehow this is delightful. It is like watching Mother Teresa get in a screaming match with a taxi driver, especially because Mr. Gere’s weapon of choice was a little absurd. An umbrella doesn’t generally seem capable of doing that much damage unless John Steed is wielding it. There is comfort somehow in knowing that even the most peaceful people can go a little batty in the face of heartbreak. 

Still, it was already a stark contrast from Mr. Gere’s very amicable divorce with his first ex-wife Cindy Crawford in 1995.

Mr. Gere and Ms. Crawford, around 1991. (Photo: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Mr. Gere and Ms. Crawford, around 1991. (Photo: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

On Oprah’s Master Class in 2013, the supermodel claimed that their divorce had been mostly caused by their age gap (Mr. Gere was 37 while Ms. Crawford was 22). She still spoke warmly of her ex, though, and claimed: 

“Richard’s a super-smart guy, and he’s interesting, and he’s interested, and I learned a lot about the world,” she said. “It was a great chapter in my life.”

Carey Lowell does not seem to feel the same way. The couple married in 2002, and Ms. Lowell said that she first developed a crush on Mr. Gere when she saw An Officer and A Gentleman. However, the Law & Order star was always supposedly more extraverted than the Pretty Woman heartthrob. The Daily Mirror noted: “Carey likes being elsewhere in the limelight. She is very sociable and although very much respects what Richard likes she loves being around people.” 

Far from just writing off their marriage as a “great chapter in her life,” Ms. Lowell is asking for $100 million of Mr. Gere’s fortune, which is estimated around $250 million. There was also a dispute over how custody of their 15-year-old son, Homer, would be shared, and Ms. Lowell reportedly refused to move out of Mr. Gere’s $4.5 million inn in Bedford, N.Y., which sources said she was intent on living in with Homer. Mr. Gere, meanwhile, removed her picture from the brochure. Throughout this drama, Mr. Gere was said to have been dating Top Chef host and Salman Rushdie’s ex, Padma Lakshmi. Us Weekly reported:

“It started very recently and quietly,” a source tells Us. “It’s very new. I wouldn’t even go as far as calling them a couple. They are dating. It’s the first time Padma has dated anyone since Teddy [Forstmann], and it’s something she’s been approaching very, very delicately. They’re just getting to know each other. They’re just having fun.”

Mr. Gere with Time Out of Mind co-star Jena Malone in 2014. (Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Mr. Gere with Time Out of Mind co-star Jena Malone in 2014. (Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

After six months, however, their relationship and the fun appeared to be over. FOX News reported that they had split: 

“We’re told the couple recently ‘decided they would be better as friends,’ according to a source, who adds that both had been busy with work.”

Which is great news if you’re planning on getting together with the newly single Richard Gere. Especially since you can find him at the courthouse this month, where his divorce is hopefully nearing the final stages (the couple has reached a custody agreement, but there is still a question of whether Ms. Lowell will be getting $100 million). Page Six has reported:

“The Pretty Woman star flirted with a reporter in the elevator, joking, ‘You want me to give you a special, intimate interview?’ ”

It’s a pretty direct approach for a guy whose characters are known for flying women to operas in different cities and whisking them off to polo games.

"That scene" from An Officer and a Gentleman with Debra Winger, 1982. (Photo: (c)Paramount/Everett / Rex Features)
“That scene” from An Officer and a Gentleman with Debra Winger, 1982. (Photo: (c)Paramount/Everett / Rex Features)

There’s a possibility that Mr. Gere’s refined style might change with his single status. When fellow ’90s star Bill Murray got a divorce he was seen roaming 20-something parties in Brooklyn, and making what one 20-something referred to as “bad life choices.” 

In that case, Rachel Moheban, a Manhattan psychotherapist, told the Observer, “After divorce, some men just want a whole new life. It sounds like a midlife crisis, but I don’t think it’s worrisome. After being married for a long time, sometimes men just like to have some fun and feel free.” 

Though that seems less likely for someone who’s more inclined to practice mindful meditation. Especially since one source told The New York Post that one of the major reasons for the split between him and Ms. Lowell was that “The Buddhist actor craves privacy, and Lowell likes socializing with other bigwigs.”

At the very least, Mr. Gere seems to be channeling his emotions into his work. In his upcoming film Time Out of Mind he’ll be playing a homeless man. He noted in The Wall Street Journal that his role reminds him of his work with the Tibetan refugees in  that they are both “trying to find their place, trying to get back home.” Meanwhile, Richard Gere may be living out this storyline perhaps a little, in real life, too.

Richard Gere and Carey Lowell Share Their Love of Yoga at the Bedford Post Inn

You don’t have to be an avid practitioner of yoga to visit the Bedford Post Inn. But it seems a shame, somehow, to stop at this bucolic setting and not take advantage of the Yoga Loft, a light-filled former barn that overlooks a zen garden. And for those who spend a night in one of the inn’s eight rooms, a free yoga class is part of the deal.

Opened in 2007 by husband-and-wife actors Richard Gere and Carey Lowell and partner Russell Hernandez, the inn is known as much for its restaurants and related comforts as it is for its unique yoga program. Only a few years after opening, the Bedford Post Inn was named a member of the prestigious Relais & Chateaux organization of boutique hotels.

“We’re on the smallest end of the spectrum,” says general manager Peter Ruvolo. “We’re very proud and lucky to be a part of it.”

Nestled on 14 acres in Bedford, Westchester County, just under an hour’s drive from New York City, the property has original structures that date back to before the Revolutionary War. A restaurant called Nino’s was located there from 1953 to 1994. But when Gere, Lowell and Hernandez decided to buy the property, it was in disrepair.

“This was their brainchild. They live in the area, and they kept going by this property, which was lying fallow,” says Ruvolo. “They wanted a place for the community, a beautiful setting, where people could do their yoga and relax. They also wanted it to be an oasis for travelers.”

Visitors to the inn come from all over the world, but a substantial number of patrons are local. They take yoga classes, which are offered daily, and dine at The Farmhouse, the less formal Barn, or get takeout coffee and pastries from The Bakery Within the Barn. The emphasis at all three is on fresh, healthful ingredients.

“We try to source local farmers as much as possible, and we work with several in the area,” says Ruvolo. “We do organic when we can. We have a foraging program. The owners have about 100 acres behind us, where there are berries, wood sorrel, mustard greens, and other wild edibles. One of the things we’re thinking about for the future is having guests at the inn go out and forage with the chef if they like.”

Executive Chef Jeremy McMillan first worked at the inn as part of its opening team. He was chef de cuisine under Chef Brian Lewis, overseeing daily kitchen operations until a year later, when he moved to New York City to become sous chef at the Michelin-starred A Voce Madison. He helped launch A Voce Columbus as Chef de Cuisine, which opened to wide acclaim and was named one of the three best new restaurants in the U.S. in 2009 by The Wall Street Journal and received a Michelin star a year later.

But the Bedford Post still called to him, and in 2010 McMillan returned as Executive Chef. The Farmhouse is open for dinner and blends Italian traditions with seasonal and local ingredients. The less formal Barn offers classic country cuisine. There are several private dining options, including a Chef’s Table and Wine Cellar.

Situated atop The Barn restaurant is the Yoga Loft, where there are daily classes in different forms of yoga as well as the Feldenkrais form of therapeutic technique. Workshops on such topics as Fundamentals of Tibetan Medicine and aromatherapy are given by experts. “Because Mr. Gere practices yoga, he felt it was something he wanted to bring to the local community,” Ruvolo says. “He really wanted people in Bedford to have access to this.”

As for the guest rooms, “think Restoration Hardware,” says Ruvolo, referring to the chain of home decor stores. “Some of them have fireplaces. Some have terraces. The whole property was designed by Carey Lowell and her architect, so it has a cohesive style. It’s simple and elegant, with a lot of whitewashed wood.”

Stones that were excavated when the builders were creating a geothermal heating system were repurposed when possible. Some of the timbers in the rooms and the Yoga Loft come from lumber on the property. A long table in The Barn restaurant is made from the floors of reclaimed box cars.

The inn is open year-round. An increasing number of guests come from New York City for a weekend getaway. “It’s a quick jaunt, and a great way to get someplace in an hour that feels like much further away,” Ruvolo says. “It feels like you’re in Vermont.”

Richard Gere's divorce tested by "Law & Order" star Carey Lowell; Fair share of marital assets discussed

Richard Gere and Carey Lowell attend a social function; the celebrity couple's divorce settlement has turned into a long drawn-out discussion/negotiation.  
(Credit: Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images) Actors Richard Gere (L) and Carey Lowell attend the 2nd Annual Sean Penn and Friends Help Haiti Home Gala benefiting J/P HRO presented by Giorgio Armani at Montage Hotel on January 12, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.
 
It looks like former Hollywood heartthrob Richard Gere's divorce from model-turned-actress Carey Lowell will drag on longer than expected. Yes, you heard that right. The actor who has made lots of ladies all over the world swoon is in the thick of divorce proceedings. The settlement between the two parties, which has been kept under wraps, has been bogged down by assets & money matters.
 
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Richard Gere and Carey Lowell's split is one of the costly celebrity divorce settlements. Carey Lowell reportedly wants a fair share of the marital assets. Her legal counsel had pointed out that she had put her career in the back burner to raise a son.

Lowell is remembered as a Bond girl in the flick "License to Kill" and for her role in "Law & Order." Gere, as many people all over the world know, is the star of a string of memorable and entertaining films, including "Pretty Woman," "Chicago," "Runaway Bride." "Shall We Dance" plus poignant ones like "Unfaithful" and "Nights in Rodanthe," to name some.

News that Richard Gere and wife of 12 years Carey Lowell are divorcing first broke out in September 2013. Lifestyle differences that led to growing apart made the couple opt for divorce. At 65, Richard has cultivated philanthropic interests and has shown a strong preference for a life of privacy.
Nonetheless, he continues to appear in films, like the upcoming "Oppenheimer Strategies."

Gere has been involved with ecological work while Lowell is the type who likes being in the social circuit. They have a teenage son named Homer James Jigme Gere, but custody matters have been agreed on. It's the financial settlement that has lagged for over a year now. Gere recently had a face-off in court with his estranged wife, but they were civil to each other and even had a friendly chat.

For now, there are other important things on the mind of the actor, who also convincingly plays a homeless man in the film "Time Out of Mind."

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