Hollywood has boasted of many incredible on-screen pairs but Julia Roberts and Richard Gere are definitely near the top. The duo starred in two rom-coms in the ‘90s and became international sensations due to their chemistry. While 1999’s Runaway Bride was a moderate success, their first collaboration in Pretty Woman is a modern-day classic.
The film, which follows the blossoming love story between a business tycoon and a pr*stitute became a global success and a pop culture staple. Owing to the brilliant chemistry between the lead pair, the film was a box-office success. Gere mentioned that Roberts convinced him to come on board with just three words.
How Did Julia Roberts Convince Richard Gere To Star In Pretty Woman?
Julia Roberts became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in the ‘90s after starring in Pretty Woman. The actress was reportedly not the first choice for the role and had only done one film before this propelled her to international stardom. Multiple actresses reportedly either auditioned or turned down the role before Roberts was finally cast.
Even the leading man was hard to come by. Roberts allegedly screen-tested with ten actors for the role and other candidates included Charles Grodin and Al Pacino (via Collider). Richard Gere too reportedly turned down the role multiple times before finally agreeing to play Edward Lewis.
Gere mentioned recently that he was asked to meet Roberts by director Garry Marshall who immediately left after they met. The actor mentioned on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that Marshall later called him to ask how the meeting was going when Roberts asked him to be in the film. Gere said,
So, I’m talking to Garry, and she’s on the other side of the desk, and she’s writing something on one of my post-its there in the middle of it. And then she turns around and puts it. And I read it. It says, ‘Please say yes’. So I said, ‘Garry, I think I just said yes’.
And thus history was made with just three words. Gere and Roberts would go on to star in Runaway Bride in 1999.
Richard Gere And Julia Roberts Did Not Expect Pretty Woman To Be Such A Big Hit
Pretty Woman is one of the most popular feel-good movies of all time. Gary Marshall’s incredible direction coupled with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts’ impeccable chemistry made the low-budget rom-com into a global success. The film was reportedly made on a $14 million budget and ended up earning $463 million worldwide (via Variety).
However, Gere mentioned in an interview that both he and Roberts did not expect it to be such a huge success. Talking to Variety on his 75th birthday, the actor said that they were just having fun.
We were having fun making this. The whole time we made the movie, we didn’t know if anyone would ever see this.
According to Box Office Mojo, the film earned $178 million domestically and was the highest-grossing R-rated Disney film until it was recently surpassed by Deadpool & Wolverine.
Pretty Woman is available to stream on Max.
