50 Fun Facts About Pretty Woman

Who directed Pretty Woman?

He told Richard Gere: 'In this movie, one of you moves and one of you does not. Guess which one you are?'

What was the title of J. F. Lawton's original, much darker screenplay?

Disney executives thought it sounded like a science-fiction title.

The film's title comes from a 1964 song by which singer?

The soundtrack went triple platinum.

What is the name of Julia Roberts' character?

Roberts was 21 and known only for Mystic Pizza when she won the role.

What is Richard Gere's character's profession?

Edward Lewis is in Los Angeles to acquire Jim Morse's shipbuilding company.

What amount do Edward and Vivian agree on for the week?

The figure gave the original screenplay its title.

At which hotel does Edward stay?

Ironically, the lobby interiors were shot at the Ambassador Hotel.

What car is Edward struggling to drive when he meets Vivian?

Ferrari and Porsche both refused product placement, not wanting to be associated with prostitutes.

Who plays hotel manager Barney Thompson?

Barney teaches Vivian table etiquette before her first business dinner.

Jason Alexander plays Edward's lawyer, named what?

He had just been cast as George Costanza on Seinfeld.

Who plays Kit De Luca, Vivian's roommate?

Kit later leaves sex work and enrols in beauty classes.

Which veteran actor gave his final performance as shipbuilder Jim Morse?

He died in 1991.

Which opera does Edward fly Vivian to see, in a city up the coast?

They fly by private jet to the San Francisco Opera; the story of a courtesan who loves a rich man mirrors the film's own plot.

What sporting event does Edward take Vivian to?

That is where Philip decides she must be a corporate spy.

Which Prince song does Vivian sing in the bathtub?

When she surfaced from the bubbles, the crew had left as a prank, except the cameraman.

Which famous moment was improvised, producing Roberts' unscripted laugh?

Marshall also tickled her feet off-camera to get her laughing at I Love Lucy.

Who improvised the piano piece Edward plays in the hotel lobby?

James Newton Howard composed the background score.

Roxette's 'It Must Have Been Love' reached what position on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1990?

The song had originally been released in December 1987.

Roughly how much did Pretty Woman gross worldwide?

At the time it was the fifth-highest-grossing film ever, behind E.T., Star Wars, Last Crusade and Jaws.

Which award did Julia Roberts win for the film?

She was nominated for the Oscar and the BAFTA but did not win them.

Pretty Woman was Disney's highest-grossing R-rated film for 34 years until which 2024 film passed it?

Terminator 2 had already overtaken it as the top R-rated film overall in 1991.

Which Disney studio chief insisted the dark script be rewritten as a modern fairy tale?

It was then pitched to Touchstone Pictures as a romantic comedy.

In Lawton's original script, how did the story end?

Producer Laura Ziskin cut the drug-addiction subplot too, giving some elements to Kit.

Which actor read with Roberts before turning down the role of Edward for The Godfather Part III?

Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds and Denzel Washington were also in the mix.

Who was the studio's and Marshall's top choice for Vivian, who turned it down?

Ringwald found the story 'icky'; Ryder and Jennifer Connelly were judged too young.

Which actress got as far as costume fittings for Vivian before scheduling conflicts intervened?

Daryl Hannah passed because she thought the role degraded women.

Whom did Marshall originally envision as Vivian?

When she declined, the search widened to nearly every young actress in Hollywood.

How old was Julia Roberts when she won the role?

Her only credits were Mystic Pizza and the unreleased Steel Magnolias.

What was the film's budget?

Filming ran from July 24 to October 18, 1989.

Which future Simpsons voice actor made his film debut as a detective?

Larry Miller played the clothing-store manager Mr. Hollister.

Which car maker supplied the silver Esprit after Ferrari and Porsche declined?

The car was later sold.

How did the director get Roberts to laugh during the I Love Lucy scene?

The love scene stressed her so much a vein appeared on her forehead and she broke out in hives.

Vivian's childhood fantasy, which the ending replays, involves being rescued by what?

Edward climbs her fire escape from a white limousine; she says she rescues him 'right back'.

Where is Vivian planning to move at the end of the film, to get a job and a diploma?

She is waiting for the bus when Edward arrives.

Pretty Woman ranks number one for what, per Box Office Mojo?

About 42.2 million tickets, just ahead of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

The film sits at what position on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions list?

Rotten Tomatoes' consensus calls it 'a yuppie fantasy' that slick comedy overcomes.

Which restaurant, later renamed Cicada, hosted the escargot scene?

Most interiors were shot on Disney soundstages in Burbank.

The film's structure resembles which George Bernard Shaw play, the basis of My Fair Lady?

Marshall was also inspired by Wall Street and The Last Detail.

Who wrote the music and lyrics for the 2018 Broadway musical?

Garry Marshall and J. F. Lawton wrote the book before Marshall's death.

Who played Vivian in the musical's Broadway debut?

Steve Kazee was her Edward at the Nederlander Theatre.

What was the best-selling home video in the US in 1991?

It was released on VHS in October 1990 by Touchstone Home Video.

For how many consecutive weeks was Pretty Woman number one at the UK box office?

In Australia it topped the chart for 12 weeks.

Which Red Hot Chili Peppers song appears on the soundtrack?

Go West's 'King of Wishful Thinking' and Natalie Cole's 'Wild Women Do' are on it too.

Who served as Roberts' body double for the risqué scenes and the poster?

The composite poster famously combined Roberts' head with the double's body.

Which critic later admitted his original 'D' grade was too harsh and would now give the film a 'B'?

Ebert, by contrast, praised its 'particularly romantic kind of love'.

Interior scenes set in the Beverly Wilshire lobby were actually shot where in Los Angeles?

Most of the film was shot in Beverly Hills and on Disney soundstages in Burbank; filming began on 24 July 1989.

Which of these actors tested for the role of Edward alongside Julia Roberts?

Tom Conti and Charles Grodin also tested; Gere refused at first until Roberts persuaded him in person.

Who composed Pretty Woman's background score?

The repeated aria fragment comes from the end of 'Dammi tu forza!' in La Traviata, the opera that also inspired the plot.

For how many weeks did Pretty Woman stay in the US box-office top ten?

It was number one in Australia for 12 weeks and returned to the US top spot in its sixth weekend.

Which label released Pretty Woman on VHS in October 1990?

It became the best-selling video of 1991 in the US and the year's second most rented film.