Richard Gere Talks New Life in Spain With ‘Soulmate’ Alejandra and Their Kids

Richard Gere and his wife, Alejandra Silva, are opening up about their new life in Spain.

“The children did not want me to leave this morning,” Gere, 71, said while talking to Elle España alongside Silva, 41. “They asked me about their mother and I told them that she was in a meeting.”

“And where are you going, Dad?” Gere continued. “To a meeting too,” he responded.

According to Elle España, his family man side surprises the crew. “It is like landing in a different reality than many imagine,” the reporter writes, changing a perception people might have of the actor.

However, it’s a part of Gere that Silva has known about for years.

“Richard is a very devoted and present father. He loves to read them stories. It seems like an idyllic photo, but it’s true. He’s a great dad,” she said.

“He doesn’t cook,” she added. “I do it, but when I cook, he plays the guitar.”

Earlier this year, Gere and Silva made the decision to leave their life in America and move to Spain, Silva’s native country.

Prior to marrying each other in 2018 after meeting each other in Italy in 2014, Silva moved to America for Gere.

In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Gere said it was time to return the favor.

“My wife is Spanish, and she gave me about seven years here, so we’re going to spend some years in Madrid with her family. Our kids are bilingual, so they’re going to flourish there.”

Now, in their interview with Elle España, he says life in Spain is great.

“The truth is that you are seeing us in our momentum. We are happier than ever,” he said of being Spain. “She, because she is at home and I because, if she is happy, I am happy.”

In Silva’s words, she and Gere are “like soulmates.”

“We have the same values, we see the world in the same way and from the first moment we felt like we have known each other for a long time. And this only happens once, if it happens at all … We were united by the karma of our past lives,” she continued.

Silva and Gere share two children together, 5-year-old Alexander and 4-year-old James. Silva has an 11-year-old son, Albert, from her first marriage, all of whom moved to Spain as well.

Gere also has a 24-year-old son, Homer, from a previously marriage, who remained in New York working on his own acting career, Elle reports.

And while change is hard, Gere said it is easier to change himself than it is to try and change other people.

“We can all minimize this sense of ego, of the self. And that’s when true change occurs,” Gere said, expanding on the idea of change. “My wife shines for her open-mindedness and her genuine sense of gratitude. So connecting with that, however you do it, whether you consider it spirit or religion, love or compassion… it’s infinite.”

“One of the things that unites us the most and what made us fall deeply in love was our activist heart,” Silva added.

In addition to being on the cover of Elle España, the couple was also celebrated for their work with the Sierra a Mar project with an ELLE Eco Award.

The Sierra a Mar project is a “conservation and sustainable development initiative focused on protecting and restoring coastal ecosystems in Mexico, particularly along the region where mountains meet the ocean, by promoting environmentally responsible practices and economic growth for local communities.”

“Being an activist leads you to infuse your values into the world to improve it,” Silva said.

“It is about giving a voice to people who do not have one and raising awareness. It has a very deep meaning and we must value where to put our energy, but, however small it may be, we can always contribute.”

In addition to their environmental work, Silva and Gere are also passionate about ending homelessness.

“The only reason why both Richard and I are here in Madrid is to be part of the board of the NGO Hogar Sí ,” she shared. “We want to help this country to end homelessness. Our goal is that, within 5 years, no one sleeps on the street.”

“The path of empathy goes beyond religions,” Silva added.