Julia Roberts Had To Beg Richard Gere “in a Real Way” To Get Him in Iconic 90s Rom-Com That Made Her a Star

SUMMARY

• Julia Roberts won an Oscar nomination for starring in the 1990 rom-com film Pretty Woman.
• Her pairing with lead actor Richard Gere was highly prasied but Gere had initially refused the offer multiple times.
• It was Julia Roberts who convinced Gere to change his mind and the pair became an iconic on-screen couple!

Pretty Woman is an iconic 1990 movie starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in iconic lead roles. The rom-com was highly praised around the world and Julia Roberts received an Oscar nomination for her role of Vivian Ward in the film.

Being praised for her pairing with Richard Gere in the movie, the veteran actress revealed that the pairing almost didn’t happen. Stating that Gere repeatedly rejected the offer of starring alongside Roberts, the actress revealed that she had to convince him!

Julia Roberts in a still from Pretty Woman

Richard Gere Didn’t Want The Lead Role In Pretty Woman

Back in 2020, Roberts sat down for a chat with People Magazine as the movie completed 30 years of release. With an occasion to celebrate, the interview took a deep dive into the making of the iconic rom-com movie.

Julia Roberts And Richard Gere in Pretty Woman

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As the chat continued, Julia Roberts revealed that Richard Gere wasn’t at all ready to portray the lead role of Edward Lewis. With the cast and crew of the movie giving interviews, the article mentioned that Gere had turned down the lead role’s offer multiple times. It wasn’t until Roberts, who had to convince him otherwise.

“Richard knew Julia was a star launching into the universe,” said the director’s daughter

Roberts revealed,

“I pleaded with him in a real way!”

Working alongside veteran directors, Julia Roberts and Steven Speilberg once crossed paths in Hook. Portraying the role of Tinkerbell in the movie, Roberts and Speilberg had several on-set feuds that were quite controversial!

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When Steven Spielberg Didn’t Defend Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts in Leave the World Behind

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Back in 1991, the role of Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell was deemed quite controversial in nature. The film that starred Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman was directed by Spielberg. In a statement, the director had once said that it was an unfortunate time to shoot the movie (referring to his feud with Roberts). In her shock, the actress told Vanity Fair that she wasn’t able to believe it.

“I saw that and my eyes popped out of my head. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe that this person that I knew and trusted was actually hesitating to come to my defense. It was a hard lesson to learn. It was the first time that I felt I had a turncoat in my midst.”

Being known for her role in Pretty Woman, the actress received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. The film received a rating of 7.1/10 on IMDB and an average of 65% on Rotten Tomatoes but it became an iconic rom-com. The 1990 film is available to stream on AMC+ in the U.S.

Written by Visarg Acharya

Visarg Acharya, Associate Content Writer, has been heavily involved in movies, series, and history. Having an experience of 2 years in the field of content writing, Visarg is a seasoned writer. Having a degree in Physics, Visarg Acharya has published a dissertation alongside a plethora of poems and short stories along the way.