She offered a homeless man some pizza—he was actually a Hollywood star in disguise

A simple act of kindness turned into an unforgettable story for one woman and her family while visiting New York City. Karine Gombeau, a French tourist, was exploring the city with her husband and teenage son when she spotted a man rummaging through a trash can near Grand Central Terminal. Moved by what she saw, she decided to offer the man some leftover pizza.

"He should have my pizza instead of going through that bin."

— Karine Gombeau

What she didn’t know? That “homeless man” was actually Hollywood legend Richard Gere.

Gere was filming a movie in disguise

According to The New York Post, Gere was filming a scene for his 2015 movie Time Out of Mind, in which he plays a man experiencing homelessness. Dressed in a scruffy jacket and cap, and appearing unshaven, Gere blended right in — enough to completely fool Gombeau, who didn’t recognize him.

The family had been sightseeing in Little Italy and ended up with more pizza than they could eat. When they saw Gere, who appeared to be down on his luck, Gombeau felt compelled to help. “What’s in the bag?” he asked. Gombeau, apologetic that the food wasn’t warm, responded with a mix of French and English: “Je suis désolée, but the pizza is cold.”

"The pizza is cold."

— Karine Gombeau

Gere graciously accepted the food. “He said, ‘Thank you so much. God bless you,’” Gombeau later told reporters.

The surprise identity reveal

It wasn’t until two days later that she realized what had really happened. A hotel employee handed her a copy of The New York Post, and there, splashed across a photo in the paper, was her handing a bag to Richard Gere.

"It’s crazy, this story."

— Karine Gombeau

Gombeau was shocked — and a little starstruck. “I think he’s very handsome, even at his age,” she said, adding with a smile that while Pretty Woman wasn’t her favorite, she really loved Chicago.

No idea it was a film set

At the time, neither she nor her husband had any idea they were on a movie set. Her husband had even been filming casually with his camera, only to be told by crew members to stop. “People came from all over the station and told my husband to stop filming. People came out of the subways. It was very confusing,” she said.

Kindness, no matter who’s watching

Beyond the surreal celebrity encounter, Gombeau was struck by how many people experiencing homelessness she saw in New York. “It leaves me really sad to know we waste food and they have nothing,” she said. “It really moves me.”

Her instinct to help, she explained, was immediate and heartfelt. “He was dressed in a way, with a cap, not shaved. He looked like a man going through a rough time,” she told ABC News.

She said Gere’s performance was so convincing, it only confirmed his talent. “He is a good actor,” she said. “It is a great story. A memory of New York I will keep for a very long time. For the first time in New York, I could not have wished for better.”