Trivia for
Pretty Woman (1990) More at IMDbPro »

• The opera Richard Gere takes Julia Roberts to is La Traviata, which is about a prostitute who falls in love with a wealthy man.
  
  
• Julia Roberts's head was superimposed on Shelley Michelle's body for the poster. Richard Gere's hair is brown on the poster, but graying in the movie.
  
  
• Richard Gere is actually playing the piano. He also composed the piece of music that is played.
  
  
• The sports car that Richard Gere borrows at the beginning of the movie is a Lotus Esprit.
  
  
• An early version of the script had Vivian addicted to cocaine; part of the deal was that she had to stay off it for a week. She needed the money to go to Disneyland. Edward eventually throws her out of his car and drives off. The movie was scripted to end with Vivian and her prostitute friend on the bus to Disneyland.
  
  
• Director Cameo: [Garry Marshall] the voice over of the man digging through the trash outside of "Stallone's" house (dubbed due to poor sound quality).
  
  
• Richard Gere started off much more active in his role, but Garry Marshall took him aside and said "No, no, no. Richard. In this movie, one of you moves. And one of you doesn't. Guess which one you are?"
  
  
• When Stuckey slams the door to his car they actually had to replace it, because the window broke.
  
  
• The red coat that Vivian wears was bought for $30 from a movie usher in the street shortly before filming.
  
  
• In the final scene, Edward "serenades" Vivian with a recording of an aria from La Traviata. The aria has a vocal solo followed by the theme on strings and trumpet. That arrangement was not from the original opera but adapted for the movie.
  
  
• Ralph Bellamy's final movie.
  
  
• The movie which Vivian is watching before going downstairs to find Edward is Charade (1963) starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant.
  
  
• When Edward (Richard Gere) snaps the necklace case down on Vivian's (Julia Roberts) fingers, was improvised by Gere, and Roberts' reaction (laughter) was totally natural. The filmmakers liked it so much, they decided to leave it in.
  
  
• The car that Edward picks up Vivian in belonged to producer Nancy Gross.
  
  
• The film's working title was "$3,000".
  
  
• Christopher Reeve was originally considered for the Edward Lewis role.
  
  
• Al Pacino also turned down the role of Edward Lewis.
  
  
• Valeria Golino was originally offered the role of Vivian but turned it down. She was the finalist along with Julia Roberts.
  
  
• Molly Ringwald was originally offered the role of Vivian but turned it down.
  
  
• Disney didn't want Julia Roberts for the role of Vivian, instead they wanted Meg Ryan. Other actresses who were considered for the role of Vivian before Julia Roberts got the part were: Kim Basinger, Kathleen Turner Debra Winger, Geena Davis, Carrie Fisher, Bo Derek, Kelly McGillis, Melanie Griffith, Sharon Stone, Michelle Pfeiffer, Madonna, Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Thompson, Rosanna Arquette, Heather Locklear, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joan Cusack, Phoebe Cates, Elisabeth Shue, Tatum O'Neal, Bridget Fonda, Lori Loughlin, Diane Lane and Justine Bateman.
  
  
• In the shots of the city in the very beginning, you will notice that some of the neon letters in the hotel where Vivian lives are burned out. The only remaining lighted letters spell "HO".
  
  
• The necklace that Vivian wears to the opera really cost $250,000. While filming, a security man from the jewelry store equipped with a gun was constantly standing behind the director.
  
  
• Daryl Hannah turned down the part of Vivian as she felt it denigrated women.
  
  
• Voted #4 Must See Movie of all time by listeners of Capital FM in London.
  
  
• While shooting the scene where Vivianne (Julia Roberts) is laying down on the floor of Edward's penthouse, watching old "I Love Lucy" (1951) re-runs, in order to achieve a genuine laughter, Director Garry Marshall had to tickle Roberts's feet (out of camera range) to get her to laugh so hysterically.
  
  
• When Edward is reading to Vivian in the park, he's reading Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 to her. This sonnet is better known by its first line, "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes."
  
  
• During the scene where Julia Roberts sings along to Prince in the bath tub sliding down and dunking her head under the bubbles, Julia came up and opened her eyes and saw that everyone had left even the cameraman (who got the shot).
  
  
• During the lovemaking scene, Julia Roberts got so nervous a visible vein popped out of her forehead. Director Garry Marshall got into bed with Julia and Richard Gere. Marshall and Gere massaged her forehead until the vein disappeared. Julia also broke into hives and was given calamine lotion until they were finally able to shoot the scene.
  
  
• Albert Brooks turned down the role of Edward Lewis.
  
  
• Sylvester Stallone turned down the role of Edward.
  
  
• John Travolta auditioned for the role of Edward.
  
  
• Sandra Bullock turned down the role of Vivian.
  
  
• Winona Ryder did an audition for the role of Vivian, but had to turn down, because director Garry Marshall felt that she was too young for the character.
  
  
• Jennifer Connelly reportedly turned down the role of Vivian.
  
  
• Demi Moore turned down the role of Kit.
  
  
• Kristin Davis did an audition for the role of Vivian but turned it down.
  
  
• Jodie Foster, after she won her first Oscar in The Accused (1988), she was very interested in playing the role of Vivian.
  
  
• Drew Barrymore tried to audition for the role of Vivian, but had to turn down because director Garry Marshall felt that she was too young for the part.
  
  
• Brooke Shields auditioned for the part of Vivian, but she was fired by director Garry Marshall. She later said, that she wanted to play a mature role. She considered that it was the biggest mistake of her life.
  
  
• Sarah Jessica Parker was offered the role of Vivian, but she disliked the part. However, Parker would play a sexy character many years later, Carrie Bradshaw, on the popular TV series "Sex and the City" (1998).
  
  
• Uma Thurman auditioned for the role of Vivian.
  
  
• In Spain, Pretty Woman is one of the most successful movies ever shown on TV. As of June 2009, there have been 12 re-runs of the movie on TV, and it has always had ratings between 22.4% and 55.6%
  
  
• The movie was initially intended to be a dark drama about prostitution in Los Angeles in the late 1980s/early 1990s. The relationship between Vivian and Edward also harbored controversial themes, including the concept of having Vivian addicted to cocaine; part of the deal was that she had to stay off it for a week. She needed the money to go to Disneyland. Edward eventually throws her out of his car and drives off. The movie was scripted to end with Vivian and her prostitute friend on the bus to Disneyland. These traits, considered by producer Laura Ziskin to be detrimental to the otherwise sympathetic portrayal of her, were removed or incorporated into the character of Vivian's friend, Kit. These "cut scenes" have been found in public view, and some were included on the DVD released on the movie's 15th anniversary. One such scene has Vivian offering Edward, "I could just pop ya good and be on my way", indicating a lack of interest in "pillow talk". In another, she is confronted by drug dealers outside of The Blue Banana, and rescued by Edward and Darryl.
  
  
• Julia Roberts was far from the first choice for the role of Vivian, it went to many successful A-list actresses including "brat pack" member Molly Ringwald (who starred in The Breakfast Club (1985), Sixteen Candles (1984) and Pretty in Pink (1986)) who turned it down because she felt uncomfortable with the content in the script, and did not like the idea of playing a prostitute. She has since stated in several interviews that she regrets turning the role down.
  
  
• The film's budget was not limited, therefore producers could acquire as many locations as possible for shooting on their estimated USD 14,000,000. The majority of the film was shot in Los Angeles, California, to be specific, in Beverly Hills. The escargot restaurant scene was filmed at the Rex, now called Cicada. Filming of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel lobby interior was shot at the now torn-down Ambassador Hotel. Filming commenced on July 24, 1989, but was immediately plagued by countless problems, including issues with space and time. This included Ferrari and Porsche, who had declined the product placement opportunity of the car Edward (Richard Gere) drove, because they did not want to be associated with soliciting prostitutes. Lotus Cars UK saw the placement value with such a major feature film. This gamble paid off as Esprit sales tripled between 1990 and 1991. The company supplied a Silver 1989.5 Esprit SE, which was later sold. The film's primary shooting was completed on October 18, 1989.
  
  

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