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The 75-year-old actor could never have been part of the cast of the famous romantic comedy, as he confided on Thursday, December 12 in the podcast Awards Chatter.
How to imagine Pretty Woman (1990) without Richard Gere? The 75-year-old actor almost refused the role of Edward Lewis. He spoke about this in an interview with Scott Feinberg, the host of the podcast Awards Chatter of Hollywood Reporter, on Thursday, December 12. Richard Gere revealed that he didn't “understand” his character in the film, calling him just a “guy in a suit.” “He had no character,” he said. So, I said to myself: “This is not the role for me.”
Director Garry Marshall, as well as his screen partner Julia Roberts, however managed to convince Richard Gere to star in the feature film. “Please accept the role,” the actress reportedly wrote to him on a piece of paper. “She's adorable and great,” Richard Gere said of the Vivian Ward interpreter. How could I have said no to him?
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A fruitful collaboration
Despite his reluctance, the actor worked closely with the feature film team to create a tailor-made character. “We really tried to find a character for this character that fits the spirit of this film,” Richard Gere said of Edward Lewis. We made it sincere, charming, fun, sexy, you know? We trusted each other on that, and had a great time.”
Pretty Woman received an excellent reception from the public, and is now considered a classic of romantic comedies. “I am very proud of this work and the work we put into creating it. And I'm not only proud, I'm also grateful, because this feature film opened a lot of doors for me,” said Richard Gere, who doesn't seem to regret accepting his role in Pretty Woman.
