Pretty Woman was first released in 1990 and it immediately became a smash success! The film also takes credit for giving Julia Roberts her big Hollywood break and thrusting the actress into true stardom for playing her character, Vivian. Meanwhile, Richard Gere swept everyone off their feet playing the wealthy Edward (after our Cinderella princess thawed his icy heart, of course). This romantic comedy continues to be among the best in its genre and will forever be loved, but keep reading to learn more about these classic off-screen secrets and juicy behind-the-scenes facts.
Pretty Woman: Surprising Facts About The Smash Hit Romantic Comedy
3,000
We might know and love it as a romantic comedy, but the film Pretty Woman was nearly called something else and was almost an entirely different movie. Actually, the title they originally came up with for the film was “3000”. Can you believe it?
3,000
A Different Name
The title was a reference to how much Vivian charges Edward. Julia Roberts’ Vivian charges Richard Gere’s Edward $3,000 to spend a week with him. However, during testing, audiences were too confused about the movie’s original title, “3000”, which makes sense. It was a good thing they decided to change it.
A Different Name
Molly Was Almost Vivian
Before Julia Roberts was cast as Vivian Ward, the role had been offered to Molly Ringwald. After her success with titles like Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, and Sixteen Candles, Ringwald would have become a big-name addition to Pretty Woman’s cast. However, when the actress saw the script’s early version, she wasn’t interested. She turned down the offer but she says she does not regret anything about it. “Julia Roberts is what makes that movie. It was her part. Every actor hopes for a part that lets them shine like that,” Ringwald stated.
Molly Was Almost Vivian
Others Who Could Have Been Vivian
Another actress who came really close to portraying the character Vivian was Diane Lane. As a matter of fact, she got so close to playing the role that the actress even had costume fittings, though she ended up turning down the part because of scheduling conflicts.
Others Who Could Have Been Vivian
Top Contenders
Many other actresses also turned down playing the part of Vivian. Michelle Pfeiffer didn’t want to play the part due to the script’s “tone” and Daryl Hannah also turned down the role because she believed the script’s early version was “degrading to women.” Sarah Jessica Parker and Sandra Bullock were also top contenders.
Top Contenders
A Disney Movie
Believe it or not, Disney is actually the owner of the production company that made Pretty Woman. Disney purchased the screenplay and produced the film, so technically Pretty Woman is a Disney movie. It is possible that viewers did not notice this detail since the movie was produced under Disney’s movie production banner, Touchstone Pictures. However, it is not a separate company, just a different name for the brand of more mature movies that they were producing.
A Disney Movie
Short-Lived Happiness
When Julia Roberts first landed the part of Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman, she was really excited about it because she was a relatively unknown actress at the time. Unfortunately, her happiness just lasted for about one weekend since only a few days after she landed the role, Disney bought the rights to the film. Technically, the actress was out of a job for a couple of days until the new director, Gary Marshall, was on board. He decided to keep Julia Roberts in the film and well, you know the rest of the story.
Short-Lived Happiness
Looking For A Male Lead
When you look back, it is quite clear that the role of Edward Lewis was meant to be played by Richard Gere, but that was not always the case. Finding the perfect actor to play Edward took a very long time and Pretty Woman’s casting director also had difficulty finding someone who would accept the role. Why wouldn’t anyone agree to play Edward?
Looking For A Male Lead
Reluctant
Many of the actors that were approached for the role of Edward were reluctant and said no in the end. As a matter of fact, Gere was nearly one of them, since he thought the part was boring and could be played by anyone wearing a suit. Read on to find out why he eventually said yes.
Reluctant
Needed Some Convincing
Richard Gere had to be convinced to play the role of Edward in Pretty Woman because he was initially concerned that the character was bland and did not have any personality. In an interview, he jokingly said that a goat with a suit could have played the part and things would still have been the same.
Needed Some Convincing
“Please Say Yes”
Julia Roberts had to go to New York City on a special trip to meet with Gere for the actor to eventually agree. He took on the role mainly because of his chemistry with her. Gere was talking to the director on the phone when Roberts slid the actor a post-it note saying “please say yes,” and needless to say, he did.
“Please Say Yes”
The Completely Improvised Scene
There is one scene in the movie where Vivian blows her nose while facing the hotel concierge who is on the phone. Apparently, this was completely improvised by Julia Roberts since she thought it would be funny but she later regretted it. The actress reportedly hated the scene since she didn’t think her blowing her nose while on camera was funny. As a matter of fact, she thought it was sort of gross, though that is what makes Vivian so lovable – rough around the edges, yet sweet as a peach.
The Completely Improvised Scene
Unscripted But Memorable
One of the classic scenes in the film is the scene where Edward Lewis presents Vivian Ward a diamond necklace to wear to the opera. As she reaches out for the necklace, he jokingly closes the box. You probably did not know this part was an unscripted prank since Julia Roberts’ reaction was pretty natural and lovable. For the same reason, Garry Marshall, the director, decided to keep it in the final cut of the film. It is a good thing that he did because this scene is among the most famous and memorable scenes in Pretty Woman.
Unscripted But Memorable
The Flying Snail Scene
One very funny scene in the movie is where Vivian tries to eat escargot and it slips out, though the waiter manages to catch it and tells Vivian, “It happens all the time.” Perhaps you saw a similar scene years later in the 2001 film The Princess Diaries because it was duplicated in the said film. In The Princess Diaries, a film by Garry Marshall as well, the exact same actor landed the part of a waiter. When the main character Mia Thermopolis breaks some champagne flute after she hits it with a butter knife, she is told by the waiter that “it happens all the time.” After their mishaps, both Vivian and Mia goes on to eat a green dessert.
The Flying Snail Scene
The Amazing Laugh
One scene in the movie shows Vivian lying on Edward’s hotel room floor and laughing at reruns of I Love Lucy. She laughs hysterically and it is a pretty amazing laugh, but do you know how Julia Roberts perfected it? Well, it wasn’t simply amazing acting because just off camera, some members of the crew were actually tickling her feet out of view. The laugh may have been genuine, but she wasn’t exactly laughing at the reruns.
The Amazing Laugh
The Iconic Red Jacket
Julia Roberts playing Vivian became iconic for wearing the thigh high boots, cutaway bodycon dress, and red jacket in the film. You would think that the wardrobe department chose some designer jacket for the character to don on screen, but in reality, that is not the case.
The Iconic Red Jacket
On The Street
Although a jacket was in the script, they actually didn’t have one on hand when they got to the street to shoot the scene. A girl wearing a red jacket happened to be walking down the sidewalk. Since they liked her jacket, they offered to buy it for them to use in the film. Although the girl initially wanted tickets to Disneyland, she accepted the $30 cash for the jacket.
On The Street
Her Favorite Scene
When Julia Roberts was asked about her favorite scene in the film, she said it was the scene where Vivian drives a fancy car on Hollywood Boulevard. In a later interview, Roberts said “I don’t know, driving around in the car in Hollywood was pretty hilarious.” She also confessed that she wasn’t really a good driver back then at her young age. Nonetheless, Director Gary Marshall agreed to have the actress drive the car, and revealed that she drove really fast and the cameramen had a hard time keeping up.
Her Favorite Scene
His Favorite Scene
All actors and actresses have their own favorite scene from the films they acted in, and Richard Gere is no exception. He definitely has more than a couple of favorite scenes from Pretty Woman. His favorite scenes are the ones where Julia Roberts had to walk because he enjoyed watching her maneuver in the hooker outfit and thigh-high boots. Gere said, “That was fun for everyone,” and added that the character Vivian was “all about the legs.”
His Favorite Scene
The Famous Red Dress
The famous red dress which Vivian wears when she and Edward go to the opera was very nearly a different color. Apparently, the studio wanted a black dress for Roberts and this led to a major disagreement between the producers and the movie’s costume designer.
The Famous Red Dress
Iconic Ensemble
Marilyn Vance-Straker, the costume designer, won the argument in the end after a lot of screen testing was done on different colored dresses. The red opera dress paired with white gloves became the most iconic ensemble of the film.
Iconic Ensemble
A Real Diamond Necklace
In the movie, Edward lends Vivian a diamond necklace for the opera, but did you know that it wasn’t a prop and was actually a real diamond necklace that a jewelry store loaned to the film? It was worth $250,000 and due to its high value, there was a security guard sent to the set. The jewelry store itself sent the security guard and he never let that necklace out of his sight. The movie went on to become very successful and made a lot at the box office, so they technically could have afforded to purchase several of the necklaces.
A Real Diamond Necklace
The Song Became The Title
As mentioned earlier, the original title of the movie was “3000”, so where did “Pretty Woman” come from? Well, you might have already guessed it – it came from the classic song “Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison. Actually, it took a while for the production to acquire the rights to use the famous song, but once the movie obtained the rights, the producers made a decision to change the title of the film. What better title to have for this classic romantic comedy other than Pretty Woman?
The Song Became The Title
The Prank At The Bathtub
In one classic scene, Vivian sings to Prince’s song “Kiss” in the bathtub then goes on to have a discussion with Edward while she is still in the tub. She is really excited over the money that she will be receiving from Edward, so she goes underwater. You’ll never believe what happens next.
The Prank At The Bathtub
Hilarious
As a prank during the filming of the scene, Richard Gere and the crew left and disappeared while Julia Roberts was under the water, and the actress found it hilarious! She came up for air to find out everyone had left the shoot!
Hilarious
Fading Hair Color
There is a scene in the film where the script called for Julia Roberts to take a bubble bath. Actually, the tub was full of laundry detergent in order to make a lot of bubbles. Because the detergent was really strong and the actress had to go underwater very many times, her hair color began to fade. The night after the scene was filmed, Julia Roberts needed to get her hair re-dyed red seeing as the color had faded while shooting the bathtub scene.
Fading Hair Color
An Interesting Choice For A Car
It might have crossed your mind that a Lotus for Edward was an interesting choice. Actually, they didn’t have a lot of other options since many car manufacturers refused to have their names get associated with a movie about sex workers. Yikes!
An Interesting Choice For A Car
The Winners
Both Ferrari and Porsche didn’t want their cars in the film, but Lotus eventually offered a 1989 Espirit SE to the film. In case you didn’t know, Lotus is a British car manufacturer that makes racing cars and sports cars. Having their vehicle featured in the hit film was definitely a great choice for the company
The Winners
An Inconspicuous Cameo
Garry Marshall, the director of Pretty Woman, actually made a cameo in the film, though you might not have noticed. Marshall played the part of some homeless guy rummaging through some trash can outside some person’s house. In the scene, Edward is trying to find the right way back to the hotel, so he stops for a bit to ask the homeless guy for directions. After Pretty Woman, Marshall collaborated with both Richard Gere and Julia Roberts once more for the film Runaway Bride.
An Inconspicuous Cameo
The Croissant AKA The Pancake
One error in the film you might have missed was in the scene where Vivian starts asking Edward what his job was while she nibbled on a croissant. Edward begins explaining that he purchases companies in financial trouble and then sells them off. The pair then start discussing their education and “how far” they had gotten in school. When the camera focuses back on Vivian, she can be seen eating a pancake. How the croissant magically transformed into a pancake is anybody’s guess.
The Croissant AKA The Pancake
A Wave Of Romantic Comedies
Even though the original film was not a romantic comedy, the final product definitely was. Pretty Woman was a smash hit and actually caused the genre’s resurgence. The film, together with When Harry Met Sally, encouraged a big wave of romantic comedies back in the ’90s.
A Wave Of Romantic Comedies
The Romantic
Needless to say, Julia Roberts went on to become the queen of Rom Coms (AKA romantic comedies) throughout the ’90s since she starred in other popular romantic comedies, such as Runaway Bride and Notting Hill, to name a few.
The Romantic
Preparation For The Part
In preparation for playing Vivian, Julia Roberts spent some time at a free clinic in Los Angeles to get closer to people who resembled her character in the film. The wife of director Garry Marshall worked as a nurse at the said clinic. After she spent a couple of days at the free clinic in Los Angeles and met some of the female patients there, Roberts felt as if she was adequately ready to play the character, Vivian Ward. Despite the fact that we don’t know exactly how life-like she portrayed a sex-worker, it definitely captivated audiences all over the world.
Preparation For The Part
Her First Love Scene
Julia Roberts had quite a few love scenes in Pretty Woman and she felt really nervous while she filmed each one. In the first love scene that she did with Richard Gere, Roberts was really nervous and a vein bulged on her forehead, so they had massaged her forehead until the vein disappeared.
Her First Love Scene
Too Steamy
However, she got so nervous again that the actress broke out in hives, which delayed the scene further. We can’t really blame her because we can imagine that it must have been nerve-racking doing that kind of scenes while other people are looking.
Too Steamy
The Secrets Of The Poster
There are quite a few things you might not have known about the classic poster of Pretty Woman. For one, that isn’t the body of Julia Roberts in the poster but is actually the body of Shelley Michelle, the body double of the actress. We bet you never noticed Robert’s head superimposed on Michelle’s body in the poster. Another thing you probably did not notice is that Richard Gere’s hair was dyed black in the poster, though his hair in the film was grey.
The Secrets Of The Poster
Lesser Known Talents
There is a scene in the movie where Edward plays the piano at the hotel, but did you know that no body double was needed for it? Apparently, one of the hidden talents of Richard Gere is playing the piano and he even composed the song he played in the scene! The actor was big on music when he was younger and actually played the trumpet back in high school. Aside from music, he was apparently good at gymnastics as well, getting a gymnastics scholarship from the University of Massachusetts – truly impressive.
Lesser Known Talents
Pretty Intense Roughhousing
While filming the scene where Edward and his lawyer Phillip Stuckey fight, the fighting got really intense and Richard Gere actually knocked his tooth crown loose. That “fake fight” must have been quite something for someone involved to need dental work! He might have been tapping into a real rage and the scene where Vivian gets slapped by Philip could have set him off. Julia Roberts’ face is way too pretty to do even a fake slap, but fortunately, her smile is insured.
Pretty Intense Roughhousing
The Top-Grossing Film
Pretty Woman performed extremely well at the box office, which made many people rich, including now-famous Julia Roberts. To this date, the movie remains the top-grossing, R-rated film Disney has ever produced – that’s right, don’t forget it’s a Disney movie!
The Top-Grossing Film
Legendary
Pretty Woman also has the all-time highest numbers of ticket sales in the United States for a romantic comedy, with the film selling roughly 42.1 million tickets. It is also not surprising that Pretty Woman received very positive reviews and was overall a smash hit with all ages.
Legendary
The Italian Opera
The opera that Edward and Vivian go to is actually La traviata, an Italian opera about a man that falls for a young courtesan. However, the opera has a darker ending compared to that of Pretty Woman. The film may have eventually received a happy Cinderella ending, but the opera La traviata, on which Pretty Woman is loosely based, ends in heartbreak. Violetta, the young courtesan, dies from tuberculosis at the end of La traviata while her lover is left in deep anguish.
The Italian Opera
The Film’s Sets
Most of the scenes in Pretty Woman were filmed in Los Angeles and the movie’s fans can still go to the fancy restaurant where Edward and Vivian dined, a restaurant now called Cicada. If you visit the city and have some free time, consider going on a Pretty Woman tour.
The Film’s Sets
The Two Stars
Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, the two leads of the film, had fantastic chemistry on set and those who have seen Pretty Woman can tell you that. That was also Richard Gere’s big reason why he agreed to play the role. When Roberts went to New York to meet Gere, he was immediately smitten with the actress and the two got on well, chemistry wise. That wonderful chemistry told them that the film was going to be successful and a big reason for both of them to agree to star in the movie in the first place.
The Two Stars
The Detective AKA Hank Azaria
Actor Hank Azaria plays the detective who comes to the place where a woman had been found dead. However, this minor role was actually quite a major milestone for the actor because it was his first ever speaking role in a movie. Cool!
The Detective AKA Hank Azaria
From Then On
You may already know this but Hank Azaria has had a highly successful career after his stint in Pretty Woman. Many know him for his work on the hit animated series The Simpsons voice-acting, where he voices the parts of Apu, Wiggum and Moe, in addition to many other key characters on the show.
From Then On
Julia Roberts’ Accent
The director of the film was a little concerned about the slight Southern accent that Julia Roberts had, which is pretty noticeable at times. If you paid close attention, Vivian’s Southern accent becomes noticeable, especially in the scene in the elevator where Vivian exclaims, “Well, color me happy.” Uh oh!
Julia Roberts’ Accent
Too Southern
To avoid any issues, they made some changes to the script and included the fact that Vivian’s home state was Georgia and she moved to Los Angeles. Actually, Julia Roberts was born and grew up in Smyrna, Georgia, which is just outside of Atlanta and she attended Georgia State University prior to dropping out in order to pursue a career in acting.
Too Southern
The 1989 Earthquake
One of the most captivating scenes of the film is the one where Vivian and Edward watch the opera La traviata. Those who are familiar with Los Angeles would know the scene was filmed in the city, but the original location was supposed to be different. Why did they change things up last minute?
The 1989 Earthquake
Risky Weather
Originally, the opera scene was supposed to be shot in San Francisco, but a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit the city, which killed 67 people and caused damages amounting to $5 billion. The scene was shot at the history museum of the University of Southern California instead.
Risky Weather
Missed Out
As you know already, Richard Gere needed a lot of convincing prior to finally agreeing to take on the role of Edward Lewis, a corporate raider. It is possible that his decision was influenced by the fact that he had declined one very big role three years prior, which he regretted.
Missed Out
A Second Chance
In 1986, he was offered to play another corporate raider named Gordon Gekko in the 1987 film Wall Street. Michael Douglas, who accepted the role, ended up winning Best Actor at the Oscars for it, so Gere wasn’t missing any awards this time around.
A Second Chance
Before Seinfeld
These days, Jason Alexander is best known for playing the character George Costanza on the iconic sitcom Seinfeld. However, when he played the character Phillip Stuckey in Pretty Woman, the actor was relatively unknown on the screen. Prior to this, Alexander enjoyed success on the Broadway stage and he even won a Tony back in 1989, the year he filmed Pretty Woman. The film was released in March of 1990, just as season one of Seinfeld was quickly turning into a TV sensation.
Before Seinfeld
A Soundtrack Of Hits
The title of the film comes from “Oh, Pretty Woman”, the 1965 Roy Orbison song, so it makes sense that the movie’s soundtrack would have a lot of hits. As a matter of fact, the Pretty Woman soundtrack became a huge commercial success.
A Soundtrack Of Hits
Global
In the UK and Canada, it went platinum several times, in Switzerland, platinum once over, and in Sweden, was a certified Gold. It sold 3.6 million copies in the said countries alone and the number would surely be higher if total global sales are added in.
Global
A Different Film
These days, people know that Pretty Woman is a romantic comedy, but it definitely didn’t start out like that. In fact, the original script was pretty dark and was more of a cautionary tale about prostitution and drugs. It sounds like a completely different film if you ask us.
A Different Film
A Very Different Story
In the script, the main character Vivian is an addict and she is paid $3,000 by Edward to spend a week with him and stop doing any drugs. In the end, Edward gets fed up with Vivian, dropping her on the sidewalk, and her closest friend Kit dies due to a drug overdose.
A Very Different Story
Sound Familiar?
At one point in Pretty Woman, Vivian Ward discusses her childhood and her pretending to be a princess who was “trapped in a tower by a wicked queen. And then suddenly this knight… on a white horse with these colors flying would come charging up and draw his sword. And I would wave. And he would climb up the tower and rescue me.”
Sound Familiar?
Seeing The Future
Even though it seems this is all alluding to the film’s wonderful ending, the craziest part is that when this scene was shot, the ending of Pretty Woman hadn’t been written yet! Good thing it all wrapped up nicely, no doubt thanks to this quote.
Seeing The Future
The Pretty Woman Hotel Experience
Apparently, watching the film is not enough for a number of fans and for this reason, L.A.’s Beverly Wilshire Hotel started offering a Pretty Woman Hotel Experience (without the more unsavory parts of the film, of course) in 2015.
The Pretty Woman Hotel Experience
The Film’s Legacy
This two-night package can only be described as over the top. It comes with two nights in the Presidential Suite of the hotel, shopping with a personal stylist on Rodeo Drive, a private dinner along with a special menu, couples massage, and going to the opera. All of this will only set you back $100,000!
The Film’s Legacy