More Richard Gere News on Page X
Beijing Olympics protests are puzzling, says Crouching Tiger star Zhang Ziyi
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress has hit out at critics of China's human rights record in the run-up to the
Beijing Olympics.
By Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor
July 29, 2008
The 29-year-old said she was puzzled by the protests.
"I don't see why people are so negative. The games are about friendship. I'm Chinese and I'm proud of my country,"
the 29-year-old told Vogue magazine.
Ziyi is one of China's most bankable international stars and has appeared in a string of Hollywood films, including
Rush Hour 2 and Memoirs of a Geisha.
Her Rush Hour 2 co-star, Jackie Chan, has also come out in support of the Chinese Government.
In a recent interview, he dismissed pro-Tibet demonstrators who disrupted the Olympic torch relay as "naughty boys"
who "just want to be on TV", adding that the subject of Tibet was "ancient history".
Chan declared: "You cannot mix sports with politics. Olympics for me is love, peace, united."
But many famous actors have denounced China over its human rights record and called for a boycott of the Games,
including Richard Gere and Mia Farrow.
In February, director Steven Spielberg withdrew as an artistic adviser to the Games over China's support for the
Sudanese regime.
However, George Clooney, who also campaigns for victims of the Darfur conflict in Sudan, believes a boycott would
be counter-productive.
"It seems excessive to boycott the Games because China does business in Darfur. It's always more important to keep
a line of communication open," the star said.
July 22, 2008
This story was the bases of Richard Gere's movie "The Hunting Party"
Karadzic hid in plain sight with false identity
By DUSAN STOJANOVIC, Associated Press Writer

BELGRADE, Serbia - Radovan Karadzic grew a long, white beard to conceal his identity and even managed to openly practice alternative
medicine while in hiding, officials said Tuesday in revealing details of the war crimes fugitive's capture after a decade on the run.
Karadzic, the wartime leader of Bosnian Serbs, was arrested Monday night in a Belgrade suburb, officials said. A judge has ordered his
transfer to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, to face genocide charges, war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic
said.
Karadzic has three days to appeal the ruling. His lawyer, Sveta Vujacic, said he will launch the process to fight extradition on the last day,
Friday, to thwart authorities' wishes for his immediate transfer.
Karadzic — a psychiatrist accused of masterminding the deadly wartime siege of Sarajevo and the executions of up to 8,000 Muslims in
Srebrenica during Bosnia's 1992-95 war, Europe's worst massacre since World War II — had topped the tribunal's most-wanted list for
years.
Government official Rasim Ljajic said Karadzic, once known for his distinctively coifed hairdo, was unrecognizable.
"His false identity was very convincing," Vukcevic said. "Even his landlords were unaware of his identity."
Karadzic used a false name, Dragan Dabic, Ljajic said.
The editor in chief of Belgrade's "Healthy Life" magazine, Goran Kojic, said he was shocked when he saw the photo of Karadzic on TV,
recognizing him as a regular contributor to the publication.
"It never even occurred to me that this man with a long white beard and hair was Karadzic," Kojic said.
Karadzic's whereabouts had been a mystery since he went on the run in 1998, with his hideouts reportedly including monasteries and
mountain caves in remote eastern Bosnia.
Serbian security services found Karadzic, 63, on Monday while looking for another top war crimes suspect facing genocide charges,
Bosnian Serb wartime commander Gen. Ratko Mladic, Ljajic said.
Karadzic "was arrested Monday evening near Belgrade while changing locations," he said. "International pressure was to arrest Mladic,
and a few had expected that Karadzic would be captured."
His family in Bosnia, banned from leaving the country over suspicions that they helped him elude capture, asked Tuesday to have the
restrictions lifted, his daughter told The Associated Press.
Sonja Karadzic said family members want to spend at least a few hours with Karadzic before his transfer to U.N. custody.
"We even suggested traveling under police escort to see him for at least for a few hours," she said. "For years we have not seen our
father, husband and grandfather; my mother's health is not very good, and we do not have the financial means necessary to travel to
Netherlands."
A judge finished interrogating Karadzic on Tuesday and issued the order for his extradition.
The complexity of a case that encompasses most of the worst atrocities of the 1992-95 Bosnian war, likely legal wrangling and a packed
docket at the court in The Hague all stand in the way of a speedy trial.
"Karadzic is the second most important defendant that we have had. It will not be a quick trial, but I believe it can be held as soon as
possible — possibly within a few years," tribunal judge Frederik Harhoff of Denmark told Danish TV2 News.
Ljajic refused to reveal more details about his arrest, saying Karadzic's movements are being analyzed and will be kept secret until
Mladic's capture. "We are absolutely determined to finish this job," he said.
Karadzic — disguised by the bushy beard and glasses — managed to move freely while living in a new part of Belgrade and working at a
private clinic, Ljajic said, holding up a photo of a much thinner-looking Karadzic.
Governments worldwide hailed the arrest of the man described by the tribunal as the mastermind of "scenes from hell, written on the
darkest pages of human history."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called it a "historic moment."
"The victims need to know: Massive human rights violations do not go unpunished," she said in Berlin.
European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels said the arrest sets Serbia firmly on the path toward EU membership.
"We have waited for this for 13 years. Finally. Finally," said French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in Brussels. "This is a very
good thing for the rapprochement of Serbia with the European Union."
In Sarajevo, Bosnian Muslims rushed into the streets Monday night to celebrate the news of Karadzic's arrest.
"This is a very important day for the victims who have waited for this arrest for over a decade," said the tribunal's head prosecutor, Serge
Brammertz. "It clearly demonstrates that nobody is beyond the reach of the law and that sooner or later all fugitives will be brought to
justice."
During the siege of Sarajevo that began in 1992, Bosnian Serb troops starved, sniped and bombarded the city center, operating from
strongholds in Pale and Vraca high above the city and controlling nearly all roads in and out.
Inhabitants were kept alive by a thin lifeline of food aid and supplies provided by U.N. donors and peacekeepers. Walking down the street
to shop for groceries or driving down a main road that became known as "Sniper Alley" was a risk to their lives.
The siege was not officially over until February 1996. An estimated 10,000 people died.
The international tribunal indicted Karadzic on genocide charges in 1995. The psychiatrist and self-styled poet-turned-hardline Serbian
nationalist continue to wield behind-the-scenes power over Bosnian Serbs, occasionally appearing in public before going into hiding
three years later.
The worst massacre was in Srebrenica in 1995, when Serb troops led by Mladic overran the U.N.-protected enclave sheltering Bosnian
Muslims. Mladic's troops rounded up the entire population and took the men away for execution.
By war's end in late 1995, an estimated 250,000 people were dead and another 1.8 million driven from their homes.
Under the U.N. indictment, Karadzic faces 11 counts of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities committed
between 1992 to 1996.
He would be the 44th Serb suspect sent to the tribunal in The Hague. The others include former President Slobodan Milosevic, who died
there in 2006 while on trial.
___
Associated Press writer Jovana Gec contributed to this report.
July 17, 2008
Wild Coast abuzz before Hollywood stars touch down

Brian Hayward WEEKEND POST REPORTER haywardb@avusa.co.za

THE Wild Coast is abuzz ahead of the eagerly anticipated arrival early next week of two of Hollywood's biggest A-
list stars, two-time Oscar-winner Hillary Swank and Golden Globe-winner Richard Gere.

The pair will film scenes for the multi-million dollar biopic Amelia, to be released next year.

The film, directed by acclaimed Indian director Mira Nair, is based on the life of American aviation pioneer
Amelia Earhart, who disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in her attempt to fly around the world.

Scottish actor Ewan McGregor is also one of the film‘s top stars, although he will not be filming in South Africa.
When Weekend Post visited the film set this week, more than 50 film production crew and locals were hard at
work.

The set is located on a grassy airstrip behind the Seagulls and Trennery‘s hotels, some 10km up the Wild Coast
from the Great Kei River mouth. The crew were erecting a sprawling wooden house, a smaller house and a hut,
overlooking the picturesque and rugged coastline, which will set the stage for next week's filming.

According to insiders on the set, the scenes to be filmed involve Swank and Gere – who plays Amelia‘s boyfriend
and later husband, George Putnam – having an argument and will take up no more than five minutes of the movie.

“They will fly in and do their filming, before flying out to stay in East London,” said a Wild Coast resident who
wished to remain anonymous because he was involved with the project. “They won‘t be staying around here.

“They‘re filming here because it looks a lot like Papua New Guinea, which is where this particular scene is set,” he
said.

Flying in would be the best option for the pair, as the road to the film set from the N2 at Butterworth requires a 4x4
vehicle and takes up to two hours to travel.

“We will be finished (construction) next week, in time for filming,” said one of the production crew, as he braved
the blustery conditions to add the finishing touches to the buildings.

Producer for the production company contracted by Hollywood‘s Fox studios to build the set, Genevieve Hofmeyer,
of Cape Town‘s Moonlighting studios, was on set to oversee construction, but declined to answer questions about
the filming schedule and asked for queries to be sent to her via e-mail.

At the time of going to press, she had not responded.

According to the local contractor, the buildings would be used as a conference centre after filming, as well as
possibly an arts and crafts centre for the community.

But despite the buzz around the film, hotel staff and set constructors remained tight-lipped.

Both Trennery‘s and Seagulls are being used by the production company.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DURHAM, N.C. — On the day the Olympic torch was carried through San Francisco last week,
Grace Wang, a Chinese freshman at Duke University, came out of her dining hall to find a
handful of students gathered for a pro-Tibet vigil facing off with a much larger pro-China
counterdemonstration.
Zachary Tracer/The Duke Chronicle
Grace Wang tried to talk to Chinese demonstrators at a pro-Tibetan rally at Duke last week.
Ms. Wang, who had friends on both sides, tried to get the two groups to talk, participants said.
She began traversing what she called “the middle ground,” asking the groups’ leaders to meet
and making bargains. She said she agreed to write “Free Tibet, Save Tibet” on one student’s
back only if he would speak with pro-Chinese demonstrators. She pleaded and lectured. In one
photo, she is walking toward a phalanx of Chinese flags and banners, her arms overhead in a
“timeout” T.
But the would-be referee went unheeded. With Chinese anger stoked by disruption of the
Olympic torch relays and criticism of government policy toward Tibet, what was once a favorite
campus cause — the Dalai Lama’s people — had become a dangerous flash point, as Ms. Wang
was soon to find out.
The next day, a photo appeared on an Internet forum for Chinese students with a photo of Ms.
Wang and the words “traitor to your country” emblazoned in Chinese across her forehead. Ms.
Wang’s Chinese name, identification number and contact information were posted, along with
directions to her parents’ apartment in Qingdao, a Chinese port city.
Salted with ugly rumors and manipulated photographs, the story of the young woman who was
said to have taken sides with Tibet spread through China’s most popular Web sites, at each stop
generating hundreds or thousands of raging, derogatory posts, some even suggesting that Ms.
Wang — a slight, rosy 20-year-old — be burned in oil. Someone posted a photo of what was
purported to be a bucket of feces emptied on the doorstep of her parents, who had gone into
hiding.
“If you return to China, your dead corpse will be chopped into 10,000 pieces,” one person wrote
in an e-mail message to Ms. Wang. “Call the human flesh search engines!” another threatened,
using an Internet phrase that implies physical, as opposed to virtual, action.
In an interview Wednesday, Ms. Wang said she had been needlessly vilified.
“If traitors are people who want to harm China, then I’m not part of it,” she said. “Those people
who attack me so severely were the ones who hurt China’s image even more.”
She added: “They don’t know what do they mean by ‘loving China.’ It’s not depriving others of
their right to speak; it’s not asking me or other people to shut up.”
In a flattering profile in 2006, Ms. Wang was described in a Qingdao newspaper as believing she
was “born for politics.” She writes poetry in classical Chinese, plays a traditional string
instrument called the guzheng, and participated in democracy discussion boards back home,
she said.
Ms. Wang said she was not in favor of Tibetan independence, but she said problems could be
reduced if the two sides understood each other better.
Since riots in Tibet broke out last month, campuses including Cornell, the University of
Washington and the University of California, Irvine, have seen a wave of counterdemonstrations.

When Ms. Wang encountered the two demonstrations last week, the Chinese students seemed
to expect her to join them, she said. But she hesitated.
“They were really shocked to see that I was deciding, because the Chinese side thought I
shouldn’t even decide at all,” she said. “In the end I decided not to be on either side, because
they were too extreme.”
Daniel R. Cordero, a member of the Duke Human Rights Coalition and an organizer of the pro-
Tibet vigil, said he was handing out literature when Ms. Wang came up and pointed to the
counterprotesters.
“She was like, ‘Why are you focusing on the Duke students? Let’s have a dialogue with these
people,’ ” he said. “And I’m thinking, oh come on, seriously, that’s not going to help anything.”
Some of Ms. Wang’s efforts to mediate were met by insults and obscenities from the Chinese
students.
“She stood her ground; she’s a really brave girl,” said Adam Weiss, the student on whose back
Ms. Wang wrote “Free Tibet.” “You have 200 of your own fellow nationalists yelling at you and
calling you a traitor and even threatening to kill you.”
At Ms. Wang’s behest, he ultimately spoke to some of the Chinese contingent, finding, he said,
that “we could compromise and say we all wanted increased human rights for all Chinese, and
especially for Tibetans.”
Sherry, a Chinese graduate student who declined to give her last name for fear of being
harassed, had a less heroic view.
“She claimed she wanted to make communications between both sides, but actually she did
nothing before that night. She didn’t communicate with any organizers and actually was just
performing,” Sherry said. But she called the backlash against Ms. Wang “horrible.”
“There are a few students that are very angry at her,” she said, “but there are many others who
try to protect her, try to speak for her. Actually, the majority didn’t think she did so wrong to be
treated like that.”
She said Ms. Wang had squandered some sympathy when, in an article in The Duke Chronicle,
she blamed the Duke Chinese Students and Scholars Association for helping to release her
information through its e-mail list.
This week, three officers of the association explained in an open letter that the mailing list was
public and called the verbal attacks on Ms. Wang “troubling and heinous.” Her personal
information and other offensive posts were removed “once they were brought to our attention,”
the letter said. Student groups criticized the association for allowing them to be posted at all.
Zhizong Li, the president of the association, referred most questions to the university but said
that only about a third of the pro-China demonstrators were association members. Duke has just
over 500 Chinese students.
Ms. Wang, who has retained a lawyer, said pulling her personal information off the Web was not
enough. “I will be seen as a traitor forever, and they can still harm my parents,” she said.
But for a woman under threat of dismemberment, she seemed remarkably sanguine — even
upbeat.
“My parents are very tolerant to me,” she explained. “They were really disappointed in me for a
long time, and I persuaded them to think differently.
“If I can change my parents, I can probably change others.”
Recent News Page IX
Updated July 30, 2008
More photos from the film set of Brooklyn's Finest in Lower Manhattan. Filming date June 30, 2008.
Counter
Sooooo it was the 4th of July in America this weekend, which is a huge party weekend out
in the Hamptons.  Diddy had his annual “White” party (it was reportedly so crowded, that he
almost couldn’t get in himself) and over in Bridgehampton, some rich dude named Sandy
Gallin threw a party that was attended by Russell Simmons, Matthew Broderick, Brooke
Shields, Matt Lauer, Mary J. Blige, Jon Bon Jovi, Jerry Seinfeld, and Richard Gere.  
According to PageSix, here’s what transpired:
“They were serving strange brownies,” cackled our spy. “Half the people there were
wrecked. They weren’t making any sense, and people were laughing at inappropriate
comments.”

‘Strange brownies’ aka ‘Pot brownies” more than likely - which then begs for someone to
point out the image of Matt Lauer and Brooke Shields not only eating pot brownies but
actually walking around high off of them.  Oh, the fun, the fun…
July 7, 2008
In Bridgehampton, Hollywood mogul Sandy Gallin was throwing a wacky bash at his sprawling estate,
where Russell Simmons, Matthew Broderick, Brooke Shields, Matt Lauer, Mary J. Blige, Jon Bon Jovi,
Jerry Seinfeld and Richard Gere partied until the wee hours.

"They were serving strange brownies," cackled our spy. "Half the people there were wrecked. They
weren't making any sense, and people were laughing at inappropriate comments."
Richard Gere on location for "Brooklyn's Finest"
in Brighton Beach Brooklyn, New York
July 7, 2008
ALL-STAR ITALY
By MARK ELLWOOD
July 8, 2008
Screw the Hamptons or Malibu. The real jetset vacation home destination's a little further off. Rocky real-estate market be damned:
Italy's emerging as the boldfaced hideout du jour. Even if you can't make like an A-lister and pick up a mansion with a mortgage, there
are a few hotels near each spot that let you fake it for a little while.

DO IT LIKE CLOONEY....
The best known expat in Italy, George Clooney, bought his 25-room Lake Como palazzo, Villa Oleandra, from ketchup mogul Drue
Heinz six years ago (estimated prices wobble between $7-10m)
Built in the 19th century, the pale cream pile also has a pool, gym, tennis court and, of course, a dock for his boat; Clooney also
snapped up Villa Margherita next door, so as to have better beach access.
The compound's on the main road of Laglio; BFF Brad Pitt and former wife Jennifer Aniston were the ones who tipped George off to
the area's charms.
GOING? Bunk at the spiffily renovated Art Nouveau pile, lakefront Grand Hotel Imperiale, minutes' drive from Clooneyville (from $300;
via Durini, Moltrasio, grand-hotel-imperiale-como-lake.com.)
For dinner, maximize Clooney-spotting potential by hitting Il Gatto Nero trattoria in Cernobbio (via
Montesanto 69), his favorite local. Make like George and wash down fillet steak with a fine vintage Barbera.

HELLO, MR. GERE

"Gigolo"-turned-Dalai booster Richard Gere is a low-profile, part-time local: he's reported to have bought a house 2½ miles from
pap-magnet Clooney on the western shore of Lake Como in the small town of Ossuccio after vacationing there. Maybe he was lured
here by Donatella Versace, who still owns a family spread, Villa Fontanelle, nearby. Madonna's been a guest in the past - no A-Rod
sightings reported, though.
Settle in for a conversation
On TCM show, Elvis Mitchell gets movie folk talking
Mitchell's first guest on "Under the Influence" is the late Sydney Pollack. It's such a simple question, really: "What's the first movie
you remember seeing more than once?"
Partial Article July 11, 2008 -
He was similarly thrown by the answer Gere provides when asked his favorite musical. He thought the nominated star of "Chicago"
might mention an American musical classic. Instead, Gere named the gritty 1972 reggae drama "The Harder They Come."
Richard Gere, who plays an NYPD officer in the upcoming Brooklyns Finest, shows his diva
side as he gets helped covering up by a production assistant who was all too helpful in
assisting the Pretty Woman heartthrob actor disguise his cop uniform from being shot. The
actor was watched on the street by many as he was aided by the young man. Gere finally
decided to put his own shirt on by himself however midway to the trailer as the production
assistant continued to walk with Gere.. .
Richard Gere plays a GQ looking NYPD officer and is dressed in full uniform including a
gun while shooting Brooklyns Finest on location in New York City. The actor even sipped
coffee during his breaks where he then rested the cup on the hood of the police cruiser. . .
Some Candid Shots of Richard Gere on the set of
Brooklyn's Finest
RICHARD GERE
HAS STILL GOT IT

We don't care how
old Richard Gere
gets, we still think
he looks hot. And
he has a full head of
hair! He was
snapped on location
shooting
"Brooklyn's Finest,"
a cop drama
costarring Wesley
Snipes and Ethan
Hawke


Richard Still Going
Strong
Iconic actor Richard
Gere is still looking
great for his age,
especially since he
dropped the fake
hair dye - remember
how bad it was in
flicks like First
Knight? Yech. We
caught these
EXCLUSIVE shots
of Richard
yesterday taking a
break from his new
movie, Brooklyn’s
Finest. The film was
shooting on Essex
Street on the Lower
East Side yesterday
in New York City,
New York. We do
think that Richard
could afford to tone
up those pecs a bit.
RICHARD GERE
The actor dons a sexy navy
blue police uniform for his
role in Brooklyn's Finest
OUT OF GERE

July 21, 2008 --

RICHARD Gere's latest flick, "Brooklyn's Finest," hit a
rough patch last week when an entire scene had to be
cut because the city denied the production company
adequate parking. The scene, set in Nom Wah Tea
Parlor on Doyers Street in Chinatown, required movie
trailers and trucks carrying equipment to be parked
outside. "But if you can't park the truck, you can't shoot
the movie," said one production source. A rep for the
flick confirmed the scene was axed but insisted it was a
creative decision on the part of filmmakers
Gere, Swank to shoot movie in city
July 27, 2008

Double Academy Award winner Hilary Swank and actor Richard Gere will be in Cape Town this week shooting scenes for their latest movie.
A source in the film industry confirmed that the two stars were in town shooting Earhart, which tells the life story of renowned American
pilot Amelia Earhart.
She was known as a pioneer and record-setting pilot who disappeared flying over the Pacific Ocean. The cause of her disappearance
remains a mystery.
Earhart vanished in July 1937 while trying to circumnavigate the globe and was declared dead in January 1939.
Swank plays Earhart and had to cut off her brunette locks for the role, while Gere plays her husband, George Putnam.
So far, scenes have been shot around Chapman's Peak and the Slangkop Lighthouse near Kommetjie.
The film is being directed by Indian-born, New York-based Mira Nair.
The stars and crew will reportedly also shoot in the Eastern Cape and Transkei once they've wrapped up in the city.
Hollywood at the Wild Coast
July 19, 2008

The Wild Coast is ready for the arrival next week of two-time Oscar-winner Hillary Swank and Golden Globe-
winner Richard Gere. The actors are in South Africa to film scenes for the biopic Amelia, to be released next
year. The film is based on the life of American aviatrix pioneer Amelia Earhart, who disappeared over the Pacific
Ocean in 1937 in her attempt to fly around the world. Scottish actor Ewan McGregor is also one of the film‘s
stars, but will not be filming in South Africa. The film set is on a grassy airstrip behind the Seagulls and Trennery‘s
hotels. The actors will fly in and do their filming, before flying out to stay in East London. The road to the
film set requires a 4x4 vehicle and takes up to two hours to travel. Genevieve Hofmeyer, of Cape Town‘s
Moonlighting studios, is in charge of set construction. Both Trennery‘s and Seagulls are being used by the
production company.
Survival International's mission is to protect tribal people's land and culture across the
globe from encroaching governments and corporations whose expansion may very well
wipe out these native populations. These secluded communities won't be able to
preserve their way of life if other ambitious parties are not held in check. Support for
this organization is possible through active participation such as sponsoring events,
writing letters or becoming a campaigner (joining Richard Gere and Pippa Small as well)
or through various levels of donations. Their website does a fantastic job of sharing
their cause and enlightening those of us who wouldn't have known the depths of this
struggle otherwise.

Hear Richard Gere Now
Hollywood's Gere and Swank shoot film in SA        
Monday, 28 July 2008  
Hollywood A-list stars Hilary Swank and Richard Gere are currently in South Africa shooting scenes for their
latest movie, Earhart.  

Richard Gere is currently in SA Based on the life story of American pilot Amelia Earhart, the film stars Swank in
the lead role of the American aviator who became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932.
Gere plays her husband George Putman.
During an attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 1937, Earhart, along with navigator Fred Noonan,
disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. Earhart and Noonan were never found, nor
were any physical remains of their aircraft, resulting in a fascination with her life, career and disappearance
that continues to this day.
The cast and crew have been shooting scenes around Chapman's Peak and the Slangkop Lighthouse near
Kommetjie.
The team will then head to the Eastern Cape to shoot other scenes, while other sections of the movie are
being shot in Nova Scotia, Canada.
The film joins a list of high profile Hollywood blockbusters that have been shot on location in South Africa.
Among these are Blood Diamond with Leonardo DiCaprio, Ali starring Will Smith, Ask The Dust featuring Collin
Farrell and Salma Hayek and Country of My Skull with Juliette Binoche and Samuel L Jackson.  

The feature and advertising film industry in South Africa continues to grow vigorously. According to the Cape
Film Commission, the industry has a direct annual turnover of more than 2.6 billion.
Richard Gere is currently in
South Africa
July 30, 2008
Hollywood on the Wild Coast
30 July 2008
Hollywood stars Richard Gere and Hilary Swank wowed staff at Seagulls Hotel in the Transkei with their friendliness, sincerity and approachable nature writes reporter
Andrew Stone.
The actor and actress were at the hotel this past weekend while filming the biopic Amelia, which traces the life of  legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart.
Swank and co-star Christopher Ecclestone, who plays the role of her navigator Fred Noonan, stayed at Seagulls while Gere slept at a rented cottage nearby.
Swank was booked in under the name Amelia Earhart while Gere was apparently referred to as Dr Brown. Jean Sahd, Seagulls Hotel manager, said she spoke to them on a
number of occasions and found them completely relaxed and very approachable.
“On Saturday night after dinner I was in the kitchen with my staff when I felt a tap on the shoulder,” she recounted.
“When I turned around there stood Richard Gere right in front of me. He said he just wanted to say thanks to the staff for a wonderful supper.”
Sahd said he was as good looking in real life as he appeared on the big screen.
“He’s got such a charisma about him,” she said. “I first met him on Saturday afternoon when he arrived – I nearly died I was so nervous!”
Two-time Oscar winner Swank arrived at the hotel on Friday and with her entourage sat down to a seafood platter which they ate on the balcony outside the dining room.
“We put her in our most expensive room, the Panorama Suite, which has views of the coastline all round” said Sahd.
“She was just such an amazing person and so friendly. She played on the dining room floor with our dog Lola and told me she also had a dog named Karoo.”
For the full fascinating story about the celebrities in our midst, see Thursday’s print or online edition of the Daily Dispatch.