Few films in the genre of classic romantic comedies have captured audiences’ hearts like Pretty Woman. Richard Gere skillfully played the slick corporate raider (Edward Lewis), and Julia Roberts beautifully portrayed the endearing and vivacious Hollywood prostitute (Vivian Ward) in this 1990 classic film.

Garry Marshall directed the film, which went on to become a genuine phenomenon, grossing $463.4 million worldwide. However, J. F. Lawton’s scripted film faced many challenges before it was finally released, including casting issues, title changes, and complete rewrites. Despite being an iconic film, we bet there is a lot about Pretty Woman you don’t know yet.

Richard Gere

To begin with, Gere’s casting was not an easy one. The Intersection star turned down the offer to play the lead in Pretty Woman not just once, but several times.

Richard Gere’s Quirky Trait Was An Issue For The Pretty Woman Director

While Pretty Woman is adored for its endearing story and fantastic chemistry between the leads, the filming process had its odd moments as well.

One interesting detail that surfaced during filming was Richard Gere‘s propensity for wandering around the set while scenes were being shot, which led the director to request him to stay still.

Richard Gere

The actor, 74, struggled to stay still while moving around constantly as the cameras rolled. Garry Marshall (director) had to step forward, so he pulled the actor aside and said (according to IMDb):
“No, no, no. Richard. In this movie, one of you moves. And one of you doesn’t. Guess which one you are?”

Also, Gere initially was adamant about accepting the project and repeatedly declined the offer to play the lead in Pretty Woman. On The Today Show in 2015, during the film’s 25th anniversary celebration, he claimed that Julia Roberts gave him the following note while they were on the phone:

“She turns [the note] around, and she pushes it to me. It said, ‘Please say yes.’ It was so sweet. And I was like ‘miming talking on the phone], I just said yes.’”


Julia Roberts And Richard Gere in Pretty Woman (1990)

Julia Roberts: Pretty Woman Was Originally Titled 3000, Had A Dark Ending

Before Disney changed everything, Julia Roberts, who played the free-spirited Hollywood prostitute in Pretty Woman, revealed that the movie originally had a very heavy ending and was called 3000.

In her previous appearance on Variety’s Actor on Actor series with Patricia Arquette, Roberts, a three-time Golden Globe winner, added the following about her 1990 romantic comedy movie:
“I had no business being a movie like that, really. And I get the part. The studio that had it — this small movie company folded over the weekend — and by Monday, I didn’t have a job.

So the script — there was one producer that stayed with the script — and then it went to Disney. And I thought, ‘went to Disney? Are they going to animate it? Like how does this become a Disney movie?’ ”

Meanwhile, Arquette revealed that she had initially auditioned for the movie that was originally titled 3,000:

“So many, many, many years ago, one of my early auditions was for a movie called 3,000. Most people don’t know that 3,000 was the original Pretty Woman script. And the ending was really heavy.”


Julia Roberts

The Mystic Pizza actress, 55, pointed out that Richard Gere’s character in the film actually (via Variety’s Actor on Actor):

“Threw her out of the car, threw the money on top of her, as memory serves, and just drove away, leaving her in some dirty alley.”

As she reflected on her encounter with Gary Marshall, Roberts continued by confessing that his inclusion as the movie’s director was appropriate given his admirable character:

“He met me just because I had once had the job and he felt it would only be fair to at least meet me since I had this job for three days and then lost it. And they changed the whole thing. And it became more something that is in my wheelhouse.”


Pretty Woman (1990)

Pretty Woman brought in $463.4 million globally. It received generally positive reviews, and Roberts’ portrayal propelled her to fame by winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress.

Nine years after this film, the legendary on-screen couple (Julia Roberts and Richard Gere) teamed up for Runaway Bride. This 1999 romantic comedy film was again helmed by Garry Marshall.