Here’s why you won’t be seeing Richard Gere in a mainstream movie anytime soon, by Christian Toto.

Hollywood hearts China, warts and all. What warts, you say? Curbing religious freedom

Clamping down on free speech

Imprisoning dissidents

Micro-managing family planning And yet you rarely, if ever, hear celebrities critique the Chinese government or specific policies. The industry craves the money Chinese audiences can bring to a project. The nation is the second leading movie market … and rising.

Those brave outspoken Hollywood actors are silent … except:

One star doesn’t censor himself when it comes to China. He’s been at it for years.

Richard Gere. And now Gere is admitting that stance has taken a toll on his career. “There are definitely movies that I can’t be in because the Chinese will say, ‘Not with him,’ ” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I recently had an episode where someone said they could not finance a film with me because it would upset the Chinese.” …

Even some indie films are off limits to him now. “There was something I was going to do with a Chinese director, and two weeks before we were going to shoot, he called saying, ‘Sorry, I can’t do it,’” confides Gere. “We had a secret phone call on a protected line. If I had worked with this director, he, his family would never have been allowed to leave the country ever again, and he would never work.” … Gere, even if you disagree with his positions, is brave enough to keep speaking his mind while knowing the consequences of his actions.

I am surprised. Ok, this actor I respect more than the other ones who sound off in public.