"It was basically a suit and a good haircut" — Richard Gere on his character in the iconic rom-com Pretty Woman opposite Julia Roberts

Richard Gere welcomed his 75th birthday by leading a masterclass at the 81st Venice Film Festival on Saturday, August 31, 2024. During the event, the actor discussed playing Edward Lewis in the iconic 1990 rom-com Pretty Woman, co-starring Julia Roberts.

Talking about the role, he told the audience:

"I was playing a character that was almost criminally underwritten. It was basically a suit and a good haircut."

Pretty Woman centers the story of Vivian Ward (played by Roberts), an escort hired by Edward, a rich businessman from New York, to pose as his girlfriend during a week-long business trip.

Gere's comment came after a clip from the film showing an interaction between the lead pair after Vivian finds Edward playing a piano at the hotel ballroom. After the clip concluded, the actor joked that they had "no chemistry between them."

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"We were having fun making this little tiny movie" — Richard Gere about working on Pretty Woman

Richard Gere explained that the scene was not originally included in the script but was later added to explore Edwards' character. After much brainstorming, director, Harry Marshall and Gere came up with the intimate moment. He recalled:

"Garry said to me, 'What do you do at late at night in a hotel?' And I said, 'Well, I’m usually jet lagged, (that) would be the time I’m in a hotel. So I’m up all night and usually there’s a ballroom somewhere or a bar, and I’ll find a piano and I’ll play the piano.' He said: 'Well, let’s do something with that.'"

Gere was eventually asked to "play something moody," which segued into the moment with Vivian. He noted that the scene "ended up being integral to the film," as it reflected Edwards' "interior life" and allowed Julia Roberts' character 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," Richard Gere remarked.

As the film progresses, the relationship between Vivian and Edward develops and they fall in love.

Pretty Woman was met with mixed reactions from critics, with Roberts receiving praise for her performance. However, it opened as the No. 1 film at the U.S. box office, even grossing the highest ticket sales for a romantic comedy in the country. To be noted, the film reportedly made $463.4 million worldwide.

Roberts won several awards for her role, including a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy. Richard Gere was nominated for a Golden Globe.

Talking about the film's success, Richard added:

"We were having fun making this little tiny movie. We didn’t know if anyone would ever see this little tiny movie. No one would ever pay attention to this little tiny movie."

In an interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings last year, Julia Roberts shared her thoughts on what became of Vivian and Edwards. She stated that the businessman passed away "peacefully in his sleep from a heart attack," and Vivian went on to run his business.

Richard Gere also revealed playing a Japanese-American character in Akira Kurosawa’s Rhapsody in August. He explained it was an extremely challenging role, and he even faced backlash.

Gere will next be seen in the U.S. remake of the French spy thriller Le Bureau des Legendes, titled The Agency, with Michael Fassbender.