Richard Gere Believes His Pretty Woman Character Is “Criminally Underwritten”
While Pretty Woman did a lot to cement Richard Gere’s main man standing in Hollywood, the actor admits he believes there wasn’t a lot substance to the character. In Pretty Woman, Edward (Gere) pays intercourse employee Vivian (Julia Roberts) to behave as his girlfriend for per week as he attends a number of high-profile work engagements. As the week goes on, the pair fall in love. The film stands as some of the beloved rom-coms of the ’90s, and some of the memorable tasks for each Roberts and Gere.
At the 81st Venice Film Festival (by way of The Hollywood Reporter), Gere spoke at a masterclass on the artwork of cinema via performing, screenwriting, lighting, scoring and dubbing. There, he critiqued his Pretty Woman character for being “criminally underwritten.” He defined, “It was basically a suit and a good haircut.” This was in response to a scene that was screened that includes Edward taking part in the piano whereas Vivian will get nearer. Gere mentioned:
[sarcastically] I imply, no chemistry. This actor and this actress clearly had no chemistry between them… I haven’t seen that in a very long time. That’s a horny scene.
And Garry [Marshall, director] mentioned to me, ‘What do you do at late at night in a hotel?’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m often jet lagged, [that] could be the time I’m in a lodge. So I’m up all night time and often there’s a ballroom someplace or a bar, and I’ll discover a piano and I’ll play the piano.’ He mentioned: ‘Well, let’s do one thing with that. So we simply principally improvised this scene, and he mentioned: ‘Play something moody.’ I simply began taking part in one thing moody that was this character’s inside 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 legitimate. Though the film options some scenes digging into his life exterior of Vivian, a lot of his emotional depth is saved solely to his relationship. It is comprehensible why the actor may scoff a bit, however to at the present time, Gere can’t deny the chemistry between him and Roberts. THR notes that, through the masterclass, the Pretty Woman scene earned the most important applause. It was the scene the place Vivian enters a room to search out Edward taking part in the piano, and he undresses her and locations her atop it.
Despite Gere’s studying of his character, Pretty Woman has grossed over $460 million on the worldwide field workplace as of 2024. When it was launched, it was the fifth-highest-grossing movie of all time and reinvigorated each of the leads’ careers. However, Gere mentioned he and his fellow forged and crew mates would by no means have guessed the film’s consequence. At the masterclass, he mentioned the movie’s reception blew their expectations out of the water, as they did not imagine many individuals would take note of a comparatively “tiny” film.
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 remains to be discussing it years later exhibits that, although he might imagine it would not maintain a lot depth, it nonetheless resonates deeply with viewers. It appears moviegoers like Edward precisely as he’s, even when he’s little greater than his look.
Source: THR
