Before Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman carefully weighed a shortlist that included well-known names in Hollywood.
Today Julia Roberts she is a well-established actress in the Hollywood Olympus and yet, like everyone else, she had to take her first steps in the world of entertainment, leaving her mark on Pretty Woman. Cult rom com from the 90s directed by Garry Marshall, still today it is one of the most romantic love stories in his repertoire. Yet, before choosing Julia Roberts, the production evaluated other actresses in contention for the lead role. Who could have taken her place?
Pretty Woman, the actresses vying for the lead role before Julia Roberts
Pretty Woman not only allowed to Richard Gere to share the scene for the first time with Julia Roberts, but at the same time helped launch the career of the actress, now a Hollywood icon we couldn’t do without. Still loved today, Pretty Woman is proposed as a sort of modern fairy tale (it is no coincidence that it is inspired by Cinderella) though without princes and princesses. And there was a time when the role of Vivian, the protagonist, had also interested other famous actresses. Of her Can you imagine yourself in her place Sandra Bullock? Her turn a well-known comedy actress, Bullock could have played the lead in Pretty Woman. And she wasn’t the only one. Initially it is said that, for the role of Vivian, several actresses were considered such as And Ryan, Kristin Davis (best known for her role in Sex and the City), Drew Barrymore, Sarah Jessica Parker and even Madonna.
Then came the time of Julia Roberts, an actress still little known at the time and who shone alongside Richard Gere in a romantic comedy still quite popular in the genre today. Another curiosity that not everyone knows is that some details of the plot have been changed with respect to the first draft and not because the part was then entrusted to Julia Roberts. The character of Vivian in the beginning would have dealt with several controversial topics, such as addiction to drugs. In fact, in an early draft of the plot, part of the pact stipulated with Edward was to eliminate the use of drugs for a week. The film, moreover, was born as a drama and was supposed to tell about prostitution in Los Angeles. Changing your mind made Pretty Woman the cult it is today.