Gere Tries To Stay True To "The Hoax"
In the new movie "The Hoax," Richard Gere plays Clifford Irving, a writer who tried to fool the world into believing that he was penning a biography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes.
Irving's idea was that the bigger the lie, the more believable the story because everyone knew that Howard Hughes was completely paranoid and extremely eccentric. And for Irving, a little known writer at the time, to score his biography was a coup.
"People can't really realize that now because Howard Hughes is such a distant figure and there's no one in our world now who correlates to him," Gere told The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm. "He was just such a bizarre, extraordinary, powerful creature who was in the beginning of the movie business and aviation business, in the oil business — these multinational ties that went to the Nixon administration and the Supreme Court. It was a lunatic time with a lunatic character."
Gere said Irving was able to pull his hoax off because the world wanted to believe him, but he never knew it would get so out of hand.
"He needed the money, the job, but I think it started as a prank," Gere said. "It was a 'What if?' Let's just see. Could we really? See what happens and people were buying it so he kept doubling down. Every time he got into a corner, he made it bigger and bigger and bigger."Photos: They're In On "The Hoax"
Although the scandal happened in the early '70s, Irving's book was published in limited amount in 1999. In an extremely bold move, he even included a manufactured preface by Howard Hughes. He was named con-man of the year by Time magazine in 1972.
"It was very well written," Gere said. "It's an interesting thing because he talks about himself, Clifford, in this and he starts off with the premise of the big question is, 'Why did Howard pick me?' And he goes into the psychological and emotional reasons of why Howard would pick him. Not Norman Mailer, not Hemingway, not whoever."
Gere said playing Irving was one of his favorite roles because the movie was very well written and the character so complex.
"He was such a liar, so charming, and such a liar on every level with his best friend, public, wife," Gere said.
Irving appeared on a now legendary interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace. Looking at it now, Gere says it's obvious he's lying.
"It was the way he was approaching it. It wasn't just because he was nervous. He had rehearsed the details so much that they were popping out like light bulbs breaking," he said.
