Gere stars in FX’s ‘The Shards,’ which premieres on Aug. 5
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NEED TO KNOW
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Homer Gere considered a career as a scientist before he became an actor
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The Shards star tells PEOPLE that he grew up a “really science-y kid”
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Gere’s new series premieres Aug. 5 on FX
Homer Gere had other ideas before he made it in show business.
The Shards star, 25, told PEOPLE at the New York City premiere of his new FX series that he grew up a “really science-y kid” and was even considering a couple alternative career paths before becoming an actor.
While he thought he was “going to be a baseball player” as a kid before throwing out his shoulder, Gere says he also thought he had a future in science.
“I loved physics. I was a biology guy. Going into college, I thought I was going to be a scientist,” Gere says, adding that he ultimately “liked the people in the art classes a lot more than the people in the physics classes.”
He adds, “There’s no shade to the physics people, but it just was more my tribe.”
Credit: Ian West/PA Images via Getty
Homer is the son of actors Richard Gere and Carey Lowell, and he tells PEOPLE that his dad has given him “a lot” of advice over the years. But that feedback, he says, is “rarely about the actual craft.”
“It’s not like, ‘What should I do in this scene?’ It’s more like, how to carry yourself on set, how to make an acting career work in a way that’s sustainable,” he says. “And for that, he’s been the most invaluable resource. I mean, truly better than I could possibly hope for, from anyone.”
He also hasn’t “seen all of” his dad’s films, but one in particular played a special role in his upbringing.
“When I was a kid, Chicago was my favorite,” Homer says of the 2002 film. “I had the Chicago songs that he sang on my iPod because I had a little separation anxiety on the school bus.”
He adds, “I would listen to his songs on the school bus to soothe my separation anxiety.”
In the steamy new thriller, Homer stars alongside Hayes Warner, Kaia Gerber, Igby Rigney, Graham Campbell, Evan Rachel Wood, Wes Bentley and Jordan Roth. The Shards is based on American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis‘ novel and is executive produced and co-created by Ryan Murphy.
“Set against the vivid backdrop of 1980s Los Angeles, the series follows a group of privileged high school seniors at an elite prep school as they navigate identity, sex, jealousy, obsession and the dangers lurking beneath the surface of American adolescence,” the official logline reads.
The Shards premieres Aug. 5 on FX.
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