Richard Gere Believes His Pretty Woman Character Is “Criminally Underwritten”

While Pretty Woman did much to cement Richard Gere’s leading man status in Hollywood, the actor admits he believes there wasn’t much substance to the character. In Pretty Woman, Edward (Gere) pays sex worker Vivian (Julia Roberts) to act as his girlfriend for a week as he attends several high-profile work engagements. As the week goes on, the pair fall in love. The movie stands as one of the most beloved rom-coms of the ’90s, and one of the most memorable projects for both Roberts and Gere.

At the 81st Venice Film Festival (via The Hollywood Reporter), Gere spoke at a masterclass on the art of cinema through acting, screenwriting, lighting, scoring and dubbing. There, he critiqued his Pretty Woman character for being “criminally underwritten.” He explained, “It was basically a suit and a good haircut.” This was in response to a scene that was screened featuring Edward playing the piano while Vivian gets closer. Gere said:

[sarcastically] I mean, no chemistry. This actor and this actress obviously had no chemistry between them… I haven’t seen that in a long time. That’s a sexy scene.

And Garry [Marshall, director] 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. So we just basically improvised this scene, and he said: ‘Play something moody.’ I just started playing something moody that was this character’s interior life.

Gere’s Pretty Woman Criticisms Are Valid

But That Doesn’t Erase Its Incredible Success And Legacy

Gere’s criticism of his Pretty Woman character is valid. Though the movie features some scenes digging into his life outside of Vivian, much of his emotional depth is kept solely to his relationship. It is understandable why the actor might scoff a bit, but to this day, Gere can’t deny the chemistry between him and Roberts. THR notes that, during the masterclass, the Pretty Woman scene earned the biggest applause. It was the scene where Vivian enters a room to find Edward playing the piano, and he undresses her and places her atop it.

Despite Gere’s reading of his character, Pretty Woman has grossed over $460 million at the worldwide box office as of 2024. When it was released, it was the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time and reinvigorated both of the leads’ careers. However, Gere said he and his fellow cast and crew mates would never have guessed the movie’s outcome. At the masterclass, he said the film’s reception blew their expectations out of the water, as they didn’t believe many people would pay attention to a relatively “tiny” movie.

The iconic scene between Vivian and Edward helped to make Pretty Woman the smash hit that it was, as did the unforgettable chemistry between Gere and Roberts. That Gere is still discussing it years later shows that, though he may believe it doesn’t hold much depth, it still resonates deeply with viewers. It seems moviegoers like Edward exactly as he is, even if he is little more than his appearance.

Source: THR