'I Hope He's Playing Her Grandpa:' Richard Gere, 76, Ripped for 48-Year Age Gap With Onscreen Actress in New Film
Richard Gere is 48 years older than the actress playing his love interest in his upcoming film.
July 17 2026, Published 5:45 p.m. ET
Movie fans got a serious case of the ick after photos emerged of Richard Gere filming his latest romantic flick opposite a leading lady nearly 50 years his junior, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Gere, 76, stars in Asymmetry opposite 28-year-old actress Diana Silvers, and scenes of the pair kissing had critics out in force, calling the film's plot centered on the massive age gap "deeply problematic."
'Asymmetry' Movie Is Based on a 2018 Novel
Gere and Diana Silvers' characters play lovers in 'Asymmetry' despite their 48 year age gap.
The film is based on Lisa Halliday’s 2018 novel by the same name and follows Alice, a 25-year-old New York editorial assistant who embarks on a secret romance with Ezra Blazer, a world-famous novelist more than four decades her senior, played by Gere.
The book was loosely based on Halliday's own experience as a 20-something working as an editorial assistant in New York, who fell for author Philip Roth, who was 45 years older than her. The pair dated briefly in the early 2000s.
Filming is already underway in the Big Apple, and after shots of the pair filming a romantic scene together hit Instagram, critics were massively turned off.
'I Hope He's Playing Her Grandpa'
Gere and Silvers are seen in between takes while shooing 'Asymmetry' in New York City.
"We truly don’t need another film about predatory age gaps," one person sneered in the comments of a post by DeuxMoi showing Gere and Silvers holding hands and later cuddling on a bench.
"Ick. A film with a septuagenarian as the love interest for a twenty-something. Groundbreaking!" a second person ripped.
"I hope he's playing her grandpa," a third person quipped.
A user raged, "A 50-year age gap. We don’t need some bootleg Woody Allen movie. This has been done so many times. Why are we bringing it back? My freaking grandfather is about 55 years older than me. This is just weird."
Richard Gere Has Played Opposite Much Younger Starlets Before
Gere and Julia Roberts have paired up twice in rom-coms despite an 18-year age gap.
Gere is no stranger to starring opposite much younger leading ladies.
He famously helped launch Julia Roberts into superstardom when Pretty Woman became a global blockbuster in 1990, despite the actress being 18 years his junior. Roberts was just 22 at the time of filming, while Gere was 40, but their sizzling on-screen chemistry turned the romantic comedy into an instant classic.
The duo reunited nine years later for the hit rom-com Runaway Bride, proving their box office magic was far from over.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Richard Gere's Three Wives Have All Been Significantly Younger Than Him
Gere and his current wife, Alejandra Silva, have a 33-year age gap.
In real life, Gere has a huge 33-year age gap with his third wife, Alejandra Silva, who is 43 years old.
The pair began dating in 2014 and tied the knot four years later. The couple shares two young children, sons Alexander, 7, and James, 6,
Gere also has a 26-year-old son, Homer Gere, from his second marriage to actress Carey Lowell, 65.
The An Officer and a Gentleman star famously eloped to Las Vegas with supermodel Cindy Crawford in 1991, despite their 17-year age gap. Gere was 42, while the runway beauty was just 25. The pair had been dating for three years before tying the knot, but their marriage fizzled and ended in divorce in 1995.
Crawford told Vogue in 2013 that she didn't think the age difference would be as big an issue, but he quickly realized it was.
"I think a lot of what happened with Richard, and I was that I was still 22 and at 22 – as a young woman – I was kind of still figuring out who I was and what I wanted to be, and he was already 37," she told the publication.
"So in some ways, he knew that I was still growing and changing. I just didn't want to hear it from him because at 22, you think you know everything. You think you're already formed. And then you realize, 10 years later, that they were totally right."
