Homer Gere has revealed that while growing up he would often turn to the Chicago soundtrack to make him feel closer to his father, Hollywood icon Richard Gere.
The 26-year-old actor is now a rising star himself, having landed a starring role in Ryan Murphy’s new Bret Easton Ellis adaptation The Shards.
Speaking to People at the premiere of the new FX series, the younger Gere admitted that he has not “seen all of” his father’s films, joking that it’s “cringey to watch your dad.”
However, he mentioned a fondness for the 2002 movie musical that starred the elder Gere alongside Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
“When I was a kid, Chicago was my favorite,” he said. “I had the Chicago songs that he sang on my iPod because I had a little separation anxiety on the school bus.”
He continued: “I would listen to his songs on the school bus to soothe my separation anxiety.”
As for any advice his father had passed down, the young actor said his words of wisdom are “rarely about the actual craft.”
He added: “It’s not like, ‘What should I do in this scene?’ It’s more like, how to carry yourself on set, how to make an acting career work in a way that’s sustainable. And for that, he’s been the most invaluable resource. I mean, truly better than I could possibly hope for, from anyone.”
Earlier this year, Richard Gere reflected on his son’s appearance in the HBO series Euphoria and said he could “retire now.”
“One, he’s really good,” the Pretty Woman star said. “He really kind of preternaturally knows what he's doing. But he's also handling it really well. He’s a good kid. He’s a really good young man who kind of gets it, and this is not an easy job. Not everyone can function within it. So I think he can stay.”
“I still need to see his second episode of Euphoria, but he has this big thing coming up with Ryan Murphy, and he just finished shooting a film with Oliver Stone,” he added, before joking: “So I can retire now. I’m passing the torch.”
Richard continued about Homer’s acting career: “I don’t think he's got to make a life choice to commit to this if he’s doing this now. He’s good at it and he’s having fun, but he can become a rock climber if he wants to do that.”
Along with Homer, Richard has two other sons — Alexander, seven, and James, six — who he shares with his wife, Alejandra Silva.
