Richard Gere says a jar of worms inspired him to become a Buddhist.

The actor, who had an epiphany whilst fishing with the slimy creatures when he was a child, believes worms offer a perfect metaphor for the way he sees the world.

He recalled to Hello! magazine: "When I was a kid I used to go fishing. I'd go out early in the morning and catch worms for bait. All the worms would be in there so intertwined with each other that you couldn't even pull them apart. That's how I see the lives of all of us on this planet."

He added: "We're all deeply connected with each other - from the biggest to the smallest, from the most crazy to the most sane, from the Supreme Court to you and me in this room."

Gere has been a devout follower of Tibetan Buddhism since the early 1980s and regularly donates money to the Dalai Lama - the supreme head of the religion - and human rights charities working in Tibet.

The actor also campaigns across the globe raising awareness of AIDS and ecological issues.