Richard Gere recently gave fans a delightful glimpse into the making of one of his most memorable films, ‘Pretty Woman.’ As he celebrated his 75th birthday at a Cartier-hosted masterclass during the Venice Film Festival, Gere didn’t just talk about his celebrated career.
He spilled some juicy behind-the-scenes secrets from the 1990 romantic comedy that catapulted him and Julia Roberts to stardom. Now, we all know Gere as the dashing entrepreneur Edward Lewis, but it turns out the role wasn’t as fleshed out as you’d think.
How The Iconic Piano Scene In ‘Pretty Woman’ Was Improvised
One of the most talked-about moments in ‘Pretty Woman‘ is that steamy piano scene between Gere and Roberts. Watching a clip of it during the masterclass, Gere couldn’t help but chuckle. “No chemistry,” he joked. “I mean, this actor and this actress, obviously, had no chemistry between them… I haven’t seen that in a long time, too. It was a sexy, sexy scene.”
Gere then went on to share that the scene had been improvised, as reported by Variety. “This was never in the script. (…) We didn’t know how we would use it later. It ended up being integral to the film,” said Gere. He “was playing a character that was almost criminally underwritten. It was basically a suit and a good haircut.“
Related: Julia Roberts’ ‘Pretty Woman’ Originally Had An Extremely Dark Ending
According to Gere, the idea for the scene came up when director Garry Marshall asked him to think about what his character, Edward, would do during his stay at the hotel. “We just basically improvised this scene. I just started playing something moody that was about this character’s interior life,” Gere shared.
The scene allowed Vivian, played by Roberts, to see Edward in a completely different light, discovering a “mysterious yearning and maybe a damaged quality to this guy that she didn’t know.”
In the scene, Edward plays piano in the ballroom of the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in the middle of the night when Vivian, who fell asleep watching “I Love Lucy” on TV, enters, wearing a bathrobe. He asks the staff to leave them alone and sits her atop the piano before they start making out.
‘Pretty Woman’ Was A Massive Hit
Despite its humble beginnings, ‘Pretty Woman‘ turned into a box-office sensation, grossing a staggering $463.4 million worldwide on a $14 million budget. But back when they were filming, Gere, Roberts, and Marshall had no idea they were making history.
“We were having fun making this. The whole time we made the movie, we didn’t know if anyone would ever see this,” Gere admitted.
Gere’s candid reflections at the masterclass didn’t just stop at ‘Pretty Woman.’ He also touched on his experience working on Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Rhapsody in August,’ where he portrayed a Japanese American character.
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Even for an actor of Gere’s caliber, it wasn’t easy. He humorously recalled Kurosawa’s assistant director telling him, “I don’t know what Richard’s trying to do because he looks completely Japanese to me.“
His latest project, ‘Oh, Canada,’ reunited him with director Paul Schrader, and he’s gearing up for a new movie opposite Michael Fassbender. And if that’s not enough, he’s working on a special project with his son in ‘The Agency‘.
“It’s a father and son story getting to know each other and to know each other,” he said. “And I’m the father all of that young, really cute boy… Now I’m the father!“
