Richard Gere says his character in his new film “Arbitrage” has a lot in common with former President Bill Clinton.
In the Nicholas Jarecki indie thriller, Gere plays a hedge fund mogul whose extramarital affair brings serious consequences to his professional and personal life. The actor tells “The Wrap” how he channelled Clinton’s affable persona to add complexity to his character.
“It’s like with Bill Clinton. You know he’s got problems, but he’s our Clinton. It’s like, ‘He’s so lovable, he’s so smart, he’s cute, he’s boyish …,'” Gere said in the interview. “It was more important for me to get all the cylinders working on that part, as well as the machinations of what a Machiavellian guy in the financial world is capable of.”
Susan Sarandon plays Gere’s wife in the film, a character Gere compared to Clinton’s wife, the secretary of state.
“Look at Hillary Clinton. She could have taken a totally different route, but I think she went with her heart. She said, ‘I love the guy, I know he messed up, but he’s my Bill.’ And I think Susan’s character will ultimately do the same thing,” he said.
“Arbitrage” opened on Friday and grossed more than $2 million on fewer than 200 screens, the best-ever showing for a film that opened in theaters day-and-date with Video On Demand.