Richard Gere "doesn't care" about people's opinions of him.

The Pretty Woman actor - who has Homer, 26, with ex-wife Carey Lowell and Alexander, six, and James, five, with spouse Alejandra Silva - grew up in an "extraordinary Christian family" before converting to Buddhism in 1978 and his faith has taught him there are far more important things in life than just "worrying" about himself.

He told Fox News Digital: "My first son is 26 now. And I talked to him about what he's going through right now.

"And I remember myself as a 25-year-old, 26-year-old person. Of course, my concerns were different.

"I certainly was more susceptible to what people said and thought about me and about anything else. And frankly, I don't care that much about it right now, what anyone thinks or says...

"I grew up with that imprint, I think, from my dad and my mom, but there was something about Buddhism that kind of went beyond that and was willing to explore the larger questions. What is reality? What am I? What is a human being? Am I capable of much greater things than just worrying about myself?

"And certainly, Buddhism wanted to engage those things [for me]."

The 77-year-old star believes Buddhism helped him avoid developing a big ego or getting overwhelmed by the darker elements of fame.

He said: "Everyone goes through that. Everyone has the forces of greed, anger, self-cherishing, impatience, jealousy, the whole gamut. Everyone has that. So I think from Buddhist training and looking at these afflictive emotions and seeing where they're coming from, they're not innate in me. They're kind of add-ons to basic clarity of the mind.

"It's said that the mind is clear and knowing, so clear, vast, no limits. It has a sense of knowing, wisdom. The other stuff is just kind of add-ons, like dark clouds coming through. They come, and they go."

And Richard also knows his fame and success won't bring him happiness because that needs to come from within.

He said: "Well, clearly, happiness and peace [don't] come from the outside.

"It comes from inside all of us, and it's there. You don't have to create that.

"But I think it's removing the bad habits, removing the causes that make us feel bad ultimately.

"But we're in control of our experience for sure. We're responsible for it. If you don't like the way things are, you change it. And all things are changeable. They're changing all the time anyhow. Probably when we fight the change is when we feel the worst.

"What's really important? Is it what I own or what I am? I'm not going to get anything from the outside that is permanently going to make me happy."

He jokingly added: "Momentarily, yes, like a piece of chocolate, but that's not permanent, is it?"