Richard Gere reveals his one requirement for a ‘Pretty Woman' sequel
Richard Gere revealed the only way fans would get a sequel to his and Julia Roberts' 1990 rom-com 'Pretty Woman' is if the writing was up to par.
'It all comes down to whether or not there's a good script,' the actor, 75, told People on Wednesday.
Advertisement
6 Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in 'Pretty Woman.'
Everett Collection (51981)
The film — whose director Garry Marshall died in 2016 at age 81 — followed Gere's character Edward Lewis, a wealthy businessman who hires Roberts' Vivian Ward, a sex worker, while on a business trip in Los Angeles.
The pair falls in love, and the movie's final scene ends with a kiss to Roxette's 'It Must Have Been Love.'
Advertisement
6 Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in the 1990 romcom 'Pretty Woman.'
©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Looking back at the rom-com, Gere said on The Hollywood Reporter's 'Awards Chatter' podcast in December, 'I'm so proud of that movie and proud of the work process that we did to create that movie.'
'And I'm not only proud,' he gushed, 'I'm thankful for that movie because it allowed me to do a lot of other things too.'
Taking a moment to dissect playing the suave businessman, the Spain resident recalled, 'There was no character.'
Advertisement
'So, I read this thing, and I said, 'It's not for me.'
6 1990 romcom 'Pretty Woman.'
©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Gere felt Edward was 'just a suit,' but Marshall assured the star that, along with Roberts, 57, they would 'find' the character.
'We ended up, you know, really trying to find a character there that made sense within the structure and, you know, the essence of what that piece was,' Gere explained. 'To make it heartfelt, to make it charming, make it fun, make it sexy, you know? And we all loved each other. Great trust, we had a wonderful time, and we had no idea that it was gonna be what it was.'
Advertisement
In 2024, the 'Longing' star also revealed that his and Roberts' 'Pretty Woman' piano scene was improvised after a conversation with Marshall.
6 Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in the rom com in 1990.
©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
'I haven't seen that in a long time, too. It was a sexy, sexy scene,' he said, per The Hollywood Reporter.
'This was never in the script,' he admitted. 'We didn't know how we would use it later. It ended up being integral to the film.'
In the infamous scene, Edward played the piano at their hotel in the middle of the night while Vivian walked in wearing a bathrobe. He then asked the staff to leave them be as they made out on the piano.
6 Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, 1990.
©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
'Garry said to me, 'What do you do 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,'' Gere recounted. 'He said: 'Well, let's do something with that.' '
Alas came the makeout between Edward and Vivian.
Advertisement
'So we just basically improvised this scene, and he said: 'Play something moody,' ' Gere remembered. 'I just started playing something moody that was this character's interior life.'
But as fond as the cast — which also included Laura San Giacomo and Héctor Elizondo — is of their cult classic film, Roberts admitted that she doesn't think the movie would be made in the modern day.
'A lot has changed in the industry…I don't really think you could make that movie now, right?' Roberts told The Guardian in 2018. 'So many things you could poke a hole in, but I don't think it takes away from people being able to enjoy it. It really is not a measure of talent, particularly in the beginning. It's a measure of good fortune – and being able to have your wits about you enough to make something out of that good fortune.'
6 Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.
©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Advertisement
None of the cast knew that the decades-old film would stand the test of time.
'It's a 30-year-old movie,' Roberts told Grazia in 2018. 'I think anytime you're going to reach back to bring something into the present, there's going to be trouble making the connection for a variety of reasons. They could be political, cultural – they could be just dated clothing – so I don't think it's a reasonable testament to challenge the question of now, to use that as a template of 'Would that work now?'. We have no way of knowing that.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Anthony Mackie Jokes He's the 'White Dude Legend' After Multiple Co-Stars Earned Emmy and Oscar Nominations
Anthony Mackie reacted to being nominated for a guest actor in a comedy Emmy and joked that he has helped many of his former co-stars earn Emmy and Oscar nominations while working together. While appearing on the Wednesday episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the host congratulated Mackie on getting two Emmy nominations. The Marvel star then shared how he learned about his nomination for his guest appearance on The Studio. More from The Hollywood Reporter The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles Debuts Five-Star Beauty Room Service Ahead of the 2025 Emmys The Family Feud Over An Iconic Oscar Pete Davidson Reflects on Becoming a Dad for the First Time: "I Did It!" 'I didn't know. I was at work,' he recalled. 'And I look over and everybody's like, 'Congratulations!' And I was like, 'Oh, what white dude got nominated?' 'Cause I'm the white dude legend when it comes to nominations and wins,' Mackie said before he listed off his past co-stars who have been nominated for Oscars and Emmys. 'I made Ryan Gosling famous. I made Jeremy Renner famous. I made Bryan Cranston famous,' he jokingly said. 'I made now Ron Howard famous. I'm like, if you want to get nominated, I'm the dude. You know what I mean?' Mackie and Gosling starred in 2006's Half Nelson and the latter earned a best actor nomination at the Oscars. He also worked with Renner in 2008's The Hurt Locker, which earned him an Oscar nomination, and Cranston in 2016's All the Way, which the Breaking Bad alum earned an Emmys nod for. Most recently, both Mackie and Howard appeared on Apple TV+'s The Studio in guest starring roles. Despite having worked in the entertainment industry since he was a child, the nomination is Howard's first acting nod. After Fallon joked that Mackie is the 'secret sauce' to help his co-stars get nominated, he responded, 'I am the secret sauce. I am the jelly in the donut, you know what I'm saying?' In addition to Mackie and Howard, fellow The Studio guest stars Cranston, Dave Franco and Martin Scorsese are also nominated for outstanding guest actor in a comedy category. Meanwhile, Jon Bernthal rounds out the category for his role in The Bear. Fallon noted that the nominees are 'stacked,' which led Mackie to admit that he was fine not winning. 'So the way I look at it, I'm very honored and proud to be nominated,' he said. 'But the reality of it is, I'm excited to be in second place.' Mackie continued, 'Because you know it's Ron Howard, and it's Scorsese. So, one of them is going to take it, but they're going to take votes from the other person. So, I'm going to be in second.' The audience broke out into laughter before Fallon asked, 'You don't want to win this?' 'Oh man, I don't care about no winning. Who cares about … winning is being nominated against Scorsese and Ron Howard … because one of them is going to have to say, 'Damn, I lost to Anthony Mackie,'' he joked. 'They're thinking about me. They're shaking.' In addition to his nomination for The Studio, Mackie also scored a Daytime Emmy Awards nomination in the outstanding daytime personality (non-daily) category for Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Glee' Star Chris Colfer's Book Series ‘Land of Stories' in Works as Warner Bros. Movie
Warner Bros. is set to start a new chapter with the adaptation of a best-selling book series from Glee alum Chris Colfer. The studio has acquired Colfer's book series The Land of Stories and has attached filmmaker Phil Johnston to write the script. More from The Hollywood Reporter Johnny Cage Unleashes His Power of Being "Incredibly Handsome" in 'Mortal Kombat II' Trailer 'Extra' Lays Off Staffers Ahead of Season 32 (Exclusive) 'Practical Magic 2': Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing Set to Return Emma Watts brought the property to Warner Bros. Colfer and Watts serve as producers, while Rob Weisbach will executive produce. The Land of Stories centers on twins Alex and Conner Bailey, who are grieving the loss of their father when they are transported into a magic book where classic fairy tales are brought to life. The series kicked off with The Wishing Spell, published in 2012. With seven books in the original series, Colfer has also published several prequel titles. In 2017, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Colfer was set to write and direct a feature version of the book series for 20th Century Fox and Shawn Levy's 21 Laps. The author of 20 books, Colfer is known for playing Kurt Hummel on the Fox series Glee. He starred in the 2012 coming-of-age film Struck by Lightning, which he also wrote and produced. Johnston is the director of such movies as the forthcoming Netflix feature adaptation The Twits and the Disney animated sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet. His writing credits include Cedar Rapids, Wreck-It Ralph and Zootopia. Colfer is represented by Weisbach at Rob Weisbach Creative Management, along with Derek Kroeger at Myman Greenspan. Johnston is repped by Entertainment 360, CAA and Frankfurt Kurnit. Deadline was first to report about the project landing at Warner Bros. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Greatest Needle Drops in Film History The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Josh Greenstein Leaving Sony for Major Role at Paramount Once Skydance Merger Closes
It's all but official: Sony Motion Picture Group president Josh Greenstein will depart the studio for a top job under David Ellison once the $8 billion Paramount Global-Skydance merger closes, sources confirm. The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report this spring that Greenstein would be part of the upper management team installed by Ellison at the newly configured conglomerate. It's not clear exactly what his job will be, but it's expected to extend beyond only Paramount Pictures. Hours after this story was published, Sony confirmed Greenstein's exit, although without mentioning Paramount. More from The Hollywood Reporter Sony Shake-Up: Peter Kang Elevated to Head of Columbia, Marketing Execs Upped David Letterman Rips CBS Over 'Late Show' Cancellation: "Pure Cowardice" Paramount Co-CEOs Thank Staff As Company Prepares "For a New Era" Under Skydance The FCC approved the deal on July 24, but it won't officially close until August 7 or thereabouts. It's not clear whether Ellison will wait until then to officially announce his roster of executives beyond what's already known. Skydance declined to comment regarding Greenstein. Greenstein has a longstanding relationship with Skydance chief David Ellison and chief creative officer Dana Goldberg, who will likewise play a major role at the newly merged company. At Sony, Greenstein shared president title with Sanford Panitch, with both reporting directly to Sony Motion Picture Group CEO Tom Rothman, who recently reupped his contract. Prior to Sony, Greenstein worked at Paramount Pictures, heading up marketing and distribution. It was during that time that he got to know Ellison, whose company co-financed some of Paramount's biggest franchises, including Mission: Impossible. When arriving at Sony, Greenstein likewise first focused on marketing and distribution, but then moved up the ranks to co-head the motion picture group, where he helps oversee all aspects of the development and creative process in addition to a film's release. The titles he's worked on at Sony include Marvel's Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home; the two Venom movies; A Man Called Otto; Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood; Jumanji: The Next Level; Little Women; Bad Boys for Life; Ghostbusters: Afterlife; Uncharted, The Woman King, Where the Crawdads Sing and, most recently, 28 Years Later. July 28, 1:30 p.m.: Updated with additional details of Greenstein's exit from Sony. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire Solve the daily Crossword
