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Richard Gere may have risen to fame by starring in American Gigolo, but the 75-year-old actor doesn’t miss the United States now that he’s living in Spain with his family.

Gere and his wife, Alejandra Silva, gave an interview with Elle España on Tuesday, January 21, where the couple explained that they are loving life outside of Hollywood. “We are happier than ever,” the Pretty Woman star told the magazine, and Silva, 41, agreed. “We are like soulmates,” explained the publicist and political activist. The duo has been married since 2018.

The couple, who met in 2014 and share sons Alexander, 5, and James, 4, made the move to Silva’s home country in November 2024. Although Silva said she is happy to be home, she also explained, “The only reason why both Richard and I are here in Madrid is to be part of the board of the NGO Hogar Sí.” The couple have lofty goals for the organization. “We want to help this country to end homelessness. Our goal is that, within 5 years, no one sleeps on the street,” added Silva.

Gere, for his part, is particularly passionate about the couple’s environmental goals. “Our purpose is to take care of the environment, from the mountains to the sea,” he told the outlet. Although he plans to take an active role in the couple’s philanthropy, he also said, “real change comes through women. We talk about wisdom and compassion, that is transmitted by women, not men.”

Gere has a long history of philanthropy and spirituality. At the close of the interview, he shared two pieces of advice he picked up during his friendship with the Dalai Lama. The first reiterated his point that women are the true change makers in the world. “If you give money to a woman, she invests it and puts it at the service of the community and improves the whole village,” he told Elle. More simply, he said, the spiritual leader advised him, “Whenever you can, be kind.” Gere added his own opinion to the axiom. “And it is always possible.”