"He's got a secret joy," Gere, 55, says of his character in Shall We Dance? "He loves to dance. It opens something up in him that's private."
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Were you nervous the first time you danced with Jennifer?
Very. I mean, she's a beautiful woman, a great dancer, and I am not either. So, yeah. She was very patient with me.
Did she have any tips for you?
No, we had different approaches. Probably from the way her life has evolved and the kind of thing where she's doing videos constantly, she just wants to know the choreography – "Just give me the steps." I'm the opposite way because I'm not a dancer; I need to know the story. Until I know that, I can't learn the steps. They don't mean anything to me.
During Chicago, you said you were nervous about dancing. Looks like you're over it now.
I know. ... I did (Chicago) and I was proud of it and it was well received. So this script comes and I'm like, "Oh my God. Ballroom dancing." I'm flashing on the ballroom classes that I had when I was probably in junior high school.
Why do you think your character was reluctant to dance with his wife?
I think that's a question of – and I'll probably get in trouble – (her wanting) him to lead. It might be a modern situation that men don't feel confident enough to lead.
So you think women like it when men lead?
Absolutely. But the way that our culture has evolved it's so equal, and power has to be balanced very carefully, and when you're dancing, someone has to lead. That's the only way it works. You lead and your partner is with you in such a way that you don't even know who's leading anymore because it's so together.
