“I read this thing, and I said, ‘It’s not for me,'” Gere said, noting that it felt like the character was “just a suit,” before sharing how Julia Roberts convinced him to eventually sign on for the iconic film.
Richard Gere nearly said no to Pretty Woman.
While appearing on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, the 75-year-old actor shared the reason he initially turned down the now iconic rom-com opposite Julia Roberts.
“I’m so proud of that movie and proud of the work process that we did to create that movie,” Gere began of the 1990 film. “And I’m not only proud, I’m thankful for that movie because it allowed me to do a lot of other things too.”
But he admittedly “didn’t understand” the film at first, or the character he was asked to play, Edward Lewis.
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“There was no character,” he said. “So, I read this thing, and I said, “It’s not for me,” Gere explained of why he turned it down at first, adding that it felt like the character was “just a suit.”
Gere said he was “uncomfortable” meeting with director Garry Marshall because he really didn’t want to do the movie.
They did eventually meet, however, with Marshall putting in a little leg work to make that movie magic happen.
“We start talking about the script and I said, ‘Look, I just don’t see a character,'” Gere recalled.
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“‘Let’s you and me find it,'” he remembered Marshall telling him, adding that the late director convinced him to meet with Julia.
“I said, She’s adorable. She’s great.’ And while I’m talking to him, she takes a Post-It off of my desk and she writes on it something. Then she moves it across the table to me and it says, ‘Please say yes.’ So how could you say no to that?” Gere recounted.
He continued, “We ended up, you know, really trying to find a character there that made sense within the structure and, you know, the essence of what that piece was…to make it heartfelt, to make it charming, make it fun, make it sexy, you know? And we all loved each other. Great trust, we had a wonderful time, and we had no idea that it was gonna be what it was.”
The film, of course, ended up being a huge hit with audiences and went on to become a classic in the rom-com world. Roberts even scored her second Academy Award nomination for her iconic portrayal of Vivian. The movie also was just the start of the Gere and Roberts’ working relationship, with the pair re-teaming with Marshall for 1999’s Runaway Bride.
