The Hollywood legend made the remarks during a conversation with Venezuelan-Norwegian human rights activist Thor Halvorssen at the Oslo Freedom Forum.

“We are living through the darkest moment I’ve ever experienced on this planet. How is this even possible? Because we were asleep. We didn’t care. We didn’t vote. We weren’t really paying attention,” Gere said, adding that he himself “did not do enough to convincingly explain to people around me — close and distant — that electing this man president of the United States was madness.”

The actor claimed that “on the very first day, this guy dismantled almost everything good about the American government and the American people.”

“We must recognize the warning signs — this dictatorship of monsters and how quickly it arrives,” he added. “We have to remain vigilant.”

The Golden Globe Awards winner drew a dark comparison inspired by his visit to Dachau concentration camp. Gere said he was deeply struck by how a museum exhibition there illustrated “the transformation of German society and the German government, and how incredibly fast it happened.”

“Good people turned into monsters,” the actor said grimly. “You realize how quickly our world can be taken away from us if we fall asleep. And we must recognize these signs.”

He stressed that people need to understand how rapidly “this dictatorship of monsters” can seize power.

“We can’t just sit back and say, ‘Oh, life is good. I’m doing fine. I have food. I have money. I have a house, another car. I’m okay. Yes, I know he’s a bad guy, but everything’s fine,’” Gere said passionately.

“But it’s not fine. It’s not fine. It will never be fine.”