Gere reveals reluctance for iconic 'Officer' role

Richard Gere didn’t want to star in ‘An Officer And A Gentleman’.

The actor – who played lead character Zack Mayo in the Taylor Hackford-directed romantic drama – confesses it was only because of money he worked on the movie.

He said: “I didn’t want to do ‘An Officer and A Gentleman’ but I was broke.

“50% of my decision was, 'I need to make some money.' But it turned out well, and I was lucky."

The 60-year-old star also admits he wouldn’t encourage people to enter acting as a career because of the rejection it entails.

He told the Scotsman newspaper: “Maybe 1% of actors actually get work. It's a job with an enormous amount of rejection right from the start, and it doesn't stop. Then there's the enormous focus on external factors, so if there's anything else that you can do instead of act, do that. There are healthier ways for people to live."

Despite worrying about being out of work, Richard has a number of projects coming up, including the voice of Henry in ‘Henry and Me’ and Gary Marshall-directed romance ‘State of the Union’. With Annette Bening.