Richard Gere Is 'Thankful' for “Pretty Woman” But Admits He 'Didn't Understand' It at First: 'I Said, It's Not for Me'

It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Richard Gere starring opposite Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. But the actor says it took some convincing to get him to agree to appear in the beloved 1990 rom-com.

“I'm so proud of that movie and proud of the work process that we did to create that movie,” Gere, 75, told host Scott Feinberg on the most recent episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast. “And I'm not only proud, I'm thankful for that movie because it allowed me to do a lot of other things too.”

But Gere admitted that at first, he “didn't understand” the film, particularly the character he was approached to play, wealthy businessman Edward Lewis.

“There was no character,” Gere said. “So, I read this thing, and I said, ‘It's not for me.’ ”

Related: 10 Things You Didn't Know About 'Pretty Woman,' Which Came Out 32 Years Ago Today

Gere said his initial impression of Edward was that he was “just a suit.”

He was also initially “uncomfortable” meeting with director Garry Marshall because he really didn’t want to do the movie.

Gere eventually did sync up with Marshall and the two hit it off. “We start talking about the script and I said, ‘Look, I just don't see a character,’ ” Gere recalled.

According to Gere, Marshall told him, “Let’s you and me find it.”

Marshall also convinced Gere to meet with Roberts, who had already been cast in the role of sex worker Vivian Ward. Gere says the director even called his office 45 minutes into his meeting with the young actress to find out what he thought of her.

Related: Julia Roberts Thinks Richard Gere's Pretty Woman Character Edward Is Dead: 'And Now She Runs His Business'

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“I said, ‘She's adorable. She's great.’ And while I'm talking to him, she takes a Post-It off of my desk and she writes on it something. Then she moves it across the table to me and it says, ‘Please say yes.’ So how could you say no to that?”

“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 said of his Pretty Woman character. “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.”

The film, of course, was a hit with audiences and went on to become a classic of the rom-com genre. Roberts even scored her second Academy Award nomination for her iconic portrayal of Vivian. She reteamed with Gere and Marshall for 1999's Runaway Bride.

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