TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After independent legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) invited U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan on Wednesday (June 22), the former rock star welcomed American celebrity Richard Gere to Taiwan for human rights events.

During the eighth World Parliamentarians’ Conventions on Tibet (WPCT), Lim and Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) took part in the opening ceremony where the duo greeted the 72-year-old Gere. As the chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, Gere was a key speaker, Liberty Times reported.

Lim shared a photo of himself and Gere on Facebook, saying that he is a big fan and has basically watched all of his films, such as “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “Pretty Woman,” and “Chicago.” Therefore, he was thrilled to invite him to Taiwan for human rights events and speak at film festivals, Lim said.

In a comment below the post by Hung, he pointed out that Gere spoke up for Tibet at the Academy Awards Ceremony in 1993, which raised global awareness of the tragic political situation there.

According to Tibet Post International, the famous Oscar speech that called for Tibetan independence cost him his career in Hollywood. “I wonder if we could all send love and truth and sanity to Deng Xiaoping right now in Beijing, if maybe he will take his troops, take them away from Tibet and allow these people to live as free, independent people again,” Gere had said at the ceremony.

However, the actor added that China derailing his career had not impacted his life as much as people might have thought, as he is still doing the same thing as when he started, which is making small, interesting, character-driven, and narrative-driven stories.