Hollywood legend Richard Gere has shared some candid insight into his new life overseas, revealing the aspects of the Spanish lifestyle that he actually prefers to the U.S.
Gere, 76, is preparing to mark the one-year anniversary of his move to Spain, along with his wife, Alejandra Silva, and three of their four children, all of whom are now living in a stunning villa in a luxurious Madrid neighborhood.
However, the “Pretty Woman” star has not turned his back on his past life altogether, making regular return trips to the U.S. for work and personal commitments—most recently to attend the DOC NYC Visionaries Tribute Luncheon in New York City on Nov. 12.
While walking the red carpet at the event, Gere paused to speak to reporters about how his life has changed since his European relocation—including a significant reduction to his daily stress levels.
When asked what his favorite part of Spain is, the actor was quick to point to his wife, who was born and raised in the European country.
“My wife is so happy in Spain, so that’s the best part of that,” he told People. “She has wonderful family, wonderful friends.”
When the “Runaway Bride” star first revealed his plans to move his family overseas, he admitted that his primary reason for relocating was to give his wife a chance to spend more time with her loved ones, telling Vanity Fair Spain in April 2024 that he felt it was only fair that he make the same sacrifice for her that she had for him.
“For Alejandra, it will be wonderful to be closer to her family, her lifelong friends and her culture. She was very generous in giving me six years living in my world, so it is only fair that I give her at least another six living in hers,” he said at the time.
While Gere may have made the move for his spouse, he confessed that he is relishing his new way of life, particularly the joy that Spanish people seem to radiate.
“Spanish culture, there’s a very open joy about it,” he said. “[The people are] very warm and very open and a lot less stressed than what you find here in the U.S.
“It’s a very happy place. Like the Italians. I mean, being in Italy, being in Spain, you’re dealing with Latin cultures that just understand life in a different way than we do here.”
Still, Gere admitted that there are some things that he misses about his time in the U.S., particularly in New York City, which he praised for its “addictive … energy.”
The on-screen icon shied away from doubling down on his past criticism of the current state of politics in the U.S., which he has been very open about since his relocation—at one point going as far as to call President Donald Trump a “bully and a thug.”
“We’re all part of a universe of overlapping pain and sadness and joy. … I see this world that we’re in now forgetting that,” he said at an event in February. “This very foolish tribalism is starting to take us over, where we think that we’re all separate from each other.
“And we have unfortunately elected officials that don’t inspire us in the way that we want to be inspired. I’m coming from a place now … we’re in a very dark place in America where we have a bully and a thug who is the president of the United States. But it’s not just in the U.S., it’s everywhere.”
He expounded on these views in an interview with Spanish publication El Pais in May, when he expressed his fears about a lack of kindness in the world.
“If each of us were kind to each other, the world would be different and better. Not all of us respond to wisdom, but we all respond to kindness,” Gere told the publication. “Even in the case of Trump, I’m sure there is something kind about him. People say he’s charming in private.
“Yet the world he’s created around himself is violent, crude, and ignorant. Many of the things he’s doing we’ve never seen before.”
Despite his criticism of the U.S. and its leader, Gere was quick to insist that he plans to maintain close ties to his home country—particularly because his adult son, Homer, still lives there.
“I miss my family and friends. I was just in New York visiting my friends and my oldest son,” he said. “We went to Pennsylvania, to the small town where my father and mother came from, and we visited their grave. I need to somehow feel connected to my history, to my best friends, to stay in contact with all of it.”
Although Gere noted that he has never lived permanently abroad, he said that he has created a sense of belonging in his new Madrid dwelling by ensuring that he has access to the creature comforts he needs most—specifically his “office, piano, guitars, and books.”
“In a way, I’ve taken my world and put it here,” he said.
While the family has quickly laid down roots in what El Pais described as a “chalet in the exclusive Madrid neighborhood of La Moraleja,” Gere’s wife noted that they are not set on spending the rest of their days in the city.
She told the publication that they plan to “stay … for a few years,” describing Madrid as a “city that has … a very special energy.”
When they made their move to Spain, the couple sparked significant controversy by selling their historic residence in Connecticut to a developer—who promptly tore down the dwelling to make way for a nine-plot subdivision.
The actor sold the New Canaan, CT, property for $10.75 million to SBP Homes in an off-market deal in November 2024, two years after he purchased the dwelling from singer Paul Simon.
Among those leading the outcry against the decision was Paul’s daughter, Lulu, who publicly bashed Gere in a series of posts shared on her Instagram Stories in July, accusing him of failing to fulfill his promise to “take care” of her childhood home.
“Just in case anyone was wondering if I still hate Richard Gere—I do!” she wrote alongside a picture of herself flashing a peace sign at the camera.
“He bought my childhood home,” she went on. “Promised he would take care of the land as [a] condition of his purchase. Proceeded to never actually move in and just sold it to a developer as nine separate plots.
“Hate! Him!” she concluded the post, which also featured a news story about Gere’s real estate deal.
Lulu then continued her tirade with a rather eerie warning for Gere, sharing an image of the actor surrounded by photos of her late pets, while writing: “I hope my dead pets buried in that backyard haunt you until you descend into a slow and unrelenting madness.”
Both posts were deleted around 18 hours after being shared.
At the time, the demolition of the six-bedroom mansion in which Lulu spent her childhood was already well underway, after local salvage company Hudson Valley House Parts of Newburgh, NY, was called in to save the most significant parts of the 1938 dwelling back in May.
Young later confirmed that the teardown of the property had been completed as of Sept. 2, with an aerial image revealing that the plot on which the home once stood is now just bare land.
Gere and his wife have yet to comment on the controversy surrounding the demolition of the home—or Lulu’s claims that they never fully moved onto the property.
However, the actor did note when he announced his plans to relocate to Spain that the family would retain a residence in the U.S., telling Vanity Fair Spain that he still owned a dwelling “in the countryside near New York,” although he did not specify where.