Richard Gere, surrounded by state workers and legislators.

By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PROVIDENCE — What looked like every Pretty Woman and her sister — all with cameras — were crowded into the Statehouse rotunda Wednesday afternoon for a glimpse of one of Hollywood’s most enduring leading men.

Richard Gere, the star of a new movie that will be filmed in Rhode Island, was given an official welcome by local politicians and dignitaries. Gere will be paired with Joan Allen in “Hachiko: A Dog’s Story,” a heart-touching, family-style tale that is being directed by his friend and collaborator, Academy Award nominee Lasse Hallstrom.
The mostly female onlookers, many of whom were state employees, waved and snapped photos when the 58-year-old Gere, dressed in a black sport coat, black jeans, and grey shirt, and sporting a leonine mane of whitish gray hair, descended the marble stairs to the rotunda for the brief reception.
Seated in close quarters across from a phalanx of local VIPs that included House Speaker William Murphy, Senate President Joseph A. Montalbano, Secretary of State Ralph Mollis, Attorney General Patrick Lynch, URI President Dr. Robert Carothers, and an assortment of legislators and local members of the news media, the 58-year-old Gere appeared modest while speakers touted his various film credits and humanitarian achievements.
Joining him were Lasse, and co-producers Bill Johnson and Vicki Shigekuni Wong, who was inspired to make an American adaptation of the Japanese classic story based on her own dog-bonding experience.
While a mention of Gere’s long list of movie credits, including “American Gigolo,” “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “The Runaway Bride” and his more recent, “Hoax,” drew applause, it was the mention of his 1990 classic, “Pretty Woman,” with Julia Roberts, that caused the most hooting and hollering from the onlookers. Gere, turning somewhat red-faced, looked down and shook his head, grinning.
One enterprising female made use of Lynch’s considerable height by handing him her camera to take a photo of the bespectacled star.
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Murphy, joking that it may be the only legislative bill that passes with unanimous consent, presented Gere with a resolution from the House of Representatives, while Montalbano, on behalf of the Senate, lauded him for not only his acting work “but for your humanitarian efforts across the globe.” He cited Gere’s efforts on behalf of the non-profit organization, Tibet House, and Survival International, which helps tribal cultures. 
Randy Rosenbaum, executive director of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, and Steven Feinberg, executive director of the Rhode Island Film and Television Office, spoke of how happy they were to have another movie being shot in the Ocean State and of how it boosts the state’s economy.
Feinberg said that the latest film, “Hachiko: A Dog’s Story,” is based on the true Japanese story of a professor and his adoption of an abandoned dog who becomes his best friend and the unbreakable, life-altering bond that develops. He said the movie will be shot on location in Bristol, Woonsocket, and South Kingstown, particularly in and around the University of Rhode Island campus.
When he finally took the podium, Gere said he was “bowled over” by the reception. He said he had been in Washington, D.C., the previous day, working on behalf of one of his causes, funding for AIDS, and looked forward to just beginning work on the movie, and maybe a low-key meeting with the governor.
Gere said he read the American adaptation of the Japanese story of Hachiko and found it “touching. He said that much of the tale centers around a train station, and that while New York City would have been ideal for both he and Lasse, who live there, the production costs were prohibitive. He said the producers looked further south, to Connecticut, but it was Rhode Island’s tax credit program for filmmakers that sealed the deal.
 “We were going to shut down the film. But, we found the perfect location and the perfect situation,” said Gere. “Even though we can’t live at home and we’ll have to see our kids on the weekend,” he added.
Gere recalled that when he was 17, he took his father’s car and drove down from Syracuse, N.Y., to the Newport Folk Festival. “I got pulled over. And I just want to know if he is here today.” Turning and pointing to Capitol Police Chief William Habershaw, standing next to him, Gere joked, “You look very familiar!”