Pretty Woman may have been one of the biggest romantic comedies of the 1990s, but star Richard Gere is not a fan of how his character was written for the comedy. The Garry Marshall film made Julia Roberts a star, and featured her fantastic chemistry with Gere, who played a millionaire who hires her character Vivian, a prostitute, to be his date to social events. According to Gere, however, he needed more than just the script to make that chemistry “pop” on the screen.
While speaking with fans at an event during the Venice Film Festival, Gere discussed his stellar career, and his experiences making Pretty Woman, according to a report by Variety. After clips from the film were shown at the event, one clip in particular caused Gere to blush and laugh. The scene involved Gere’s character, Edward, sharing a passionate moment with Vivian (Julia Roberts) as he played a piano.
The steamy scene is indicative of the chemistry the two shared, which Gere noted with some sarcastic mockery as he laughed. “No chemistry,” he joked. “I mean, this actor and this actress, obviously, had no chemistry between them.” He then admitted that it was a “sexy, sexy scene,” and that he hadn’t “seen that in a long time.”
Gere then revealed the genesis of the scene, noting it was not in the original script, and was totally improvised. He said director Garry Marshall asked him to imagine what his character would do while at the hotel. He then said the scene “ended up being integral to the film,” because he felt his character needed some depth. He said:
I was playing a character that was almost criminally underwritten. It was basically a suit and a good haircut.
The piano scene worked, providing the spark between the two actors that sold the relationship to the audience. The scene added the layers to Gere’s character that the script didn’t provide. “I just started playing something moody that was about this character’s interior life,” Gere said, pointing out that Roberts’ Vivian “was able to see him in a completely different way. There was a mysterious yearning and maybe a damaged quality to this guy that she didn’t know.”
Pretty Woman Made Julia Roberts a Superstar
While Richard Gere was already a major star at the time the film was released, Julia Roberts was not. Her biggest role to that date was 1989’s Steel Magnolias, a drama in which she was part of an ensemble. Pretty Woman proved she could be a leading actress, and she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for the role. Within the next three years, she followed the film up with the box office hits Sleeping with the Enemy, Hook, and The Pelican Brief.
Pretty Woman was a worldwide smash, grossing over $463 million worldwide on a $14 million budget. While some elements of the film haven’t aged well in today’s politically correct climate, it still remains a popular romantic comedy from the era. Gere would go on to reteam with Julia Roberts in 1999 for another romantic comedy, Runaway Bride.
Pretty Woman
is currently streaming on Max.