If it rains, that’s fine if it snows, that’s fine. The dog is just waiting, the way a monk is just sitting, meditating. Gere also understood the parallels between Hachi’s story and that of the monk tradition noting, “We definitely did not want to romanticize this idea of the dog waiting, but there’s a metaphysical aspect there. “I wanted the film to be suffused with a sense of spirituality and metaphysics and to pay homage to the fact that this was a Japanese story.” “It was important to me that we started the film in a Zen monastery,” says Gere.

Gere’s love for the country made him a huge asset.

Gere was the perfect fit for the film not just because of his talent but also because of his deep understanding and respect for Japan. That sense of loyalty, that sense of 'I’m always gonna be there for you.' And it’s really, really powerful and deep stuff.” There is something in the makeup of our hearts that responds to that. I think there is something powerfully iconic and mysterious about this movie and this story of a dog that waits. “I said ‘Oh man, I’m gonna have to do this, aren’t I?’ So I read it again just to be sure, and it still really moved me. “I cried like a baby,” Gere said after reading Hachi’s story. But, because the story was so moving, he gave the script to Richard. His agent cautioned Richard that his character dies before the end of the film. He also wanted the film to expose the essence of small town and family relationships like, he said, “the way people know each other without commenting on it, not being in each other’s faces all of the time, but co-existing” like Parker and Hachi do. Gere felt that capturing a sense of forgiveness, generosity and acceptance was vital to the tone of the film. That really interested me.” Parker is as loyal to Hachi as the dog is to him. The relationship he has with the dog is based on a very non-rational connection. According to Gere, his character “Parker is the ’given’ in this story.

Parker feels a connection, and he feels needed, and this is where his integrity comes into play. Cate does not want Parker to keep the lost Akita puppy he brings home one night from the train station, but he can’t seem to shake him. From the very beginning of the story, Gere’s character overflows with compassion for Hachi, much to the chagrin of his wife Cate, played by Joan Allen.

Hachi a dogs tale cast