Let’s be real for a second. It is basically impossible to imagine anyone other than Richard Gere leaning out of that white stretch limo, clutching a bouquet of flowers, and "rescuing" Julia Roberts. But here is the thing: it almost didn't happen.
He didn't want the part. At all.
When you look back at Richard Gere in Pretty Woman, you see the quintessential 90s leading man. He’s polished. He’s wealthy. He has that silver-fox hair that launched a thousand crushes. But to Gere, back in 1989, the character of Edward Lewis was "basically a suit and a good haircut." He felt the role was "criminally underwritten." Honestly, he wasn't wrong. The early drafts of the script weren't the sugary-sweet fairytale we quote today.
The Post-It Note That Changed Everything
The casting process for Edward Lewis was a mess. Al Pacino did a reading with Julia Roberts and walked away. Sylvester Stallone said no. Burt Reynolds—in a move he later called "idiotic"—turned it down too. Even Denzel Washington and Daniel Day-Lewis were in the mix at some point.
Gere was the director Garry Marshall’s top choice, but he kept saying no. He didn't see a "character" there. He saw a corporate cardboard cutout.
So, Marshall did what any desperate director would do: he trapped Gere in a room with a 21-year-old Julia Roberts.
They sat there while Marshall pretended to be busy on the phone. While they were talking, Roberts took a Post-it note from Gere’s desk, scribbled three words on it, and slid it across to him.
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"Please say yes."
That was it. That was the moment. Gere looked at her, looked at the note, and told Marshall on the phone, "I just said yes."
The Mystery of Richard Gere in Pretty Woman
Once he was on board, the work began to turn Edward from a "suit" into a human being. Gere has been vocal lately about how much of the character was found on the fly. Because the script was originally a dark, gritty drama titled 3000—where the ending involved Edward throwing Vivian out of a car and her friend overdosing—the transition to a rom-com left a lot of holes in Edward's personality.
How do you make a corporate raider likable?
You give him a piano.
That "Sexy" Piano Scene Was Totally Real
One of the most famous moments for Richard Gere in Pretty Woman is when he’s alone in the hotel ballroom at night, playing a moody, soulful piece on the piano. Most people assume it’s a professional track dubbed over an actor hitting random keys.
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Nope. That’s actually Richard Gere playing.
He didn't just play it; he composed the piece himself. Marshall asked him what he does when he’s jet-lagged in hotels, and Gere admitted he usually finds an empty ballroom and plays. They decided to film it. It wasn't in the script. It was a total improv session that ended up being the "soul" of the character.
It showed a "damaged quality" and a "mysterious yearning," as Gere put it during a masterclass at the Venice Film Festival in late 2024. It gave Vivian—and the audience—a reason to believe there was a heart beating under that Armani suit.
The Necklace Snap: A Prank That Stayed In
We’ve all seen the GIF. Edward holds out a $250,000 diamond necklace, Vivian reaches for it, and—snap—he shuts the box on her fingers. Her laugh is legendary.
That wasn't acting.
Garry Marshall pulled Gere aside and whispered, "Hit her with the box." He wanted to wake Julia up because she had been out late and was a bit sleepy during the shoot. Gere snapped it, Julia’s shock was 100% genuine, and the take was so perfect they couldn't cut it.
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Why the Edward Lewis Role Still Works
It’s easy to dismiss Edward as just a "rich guy saves girl" trope. But looking at the performance through a 2026 lens, there's more nuance there. Gere played Edward with a specific type of stillness. He let Julia Roberts be the "spark," and he became the "anchor."
- The Salary: Interestingly, Gere took a relatively small paycheck for the role—around $300,000. For a star of his caliber in 1990, that was a steal.
- The Wardrobe: Every suit he wore was custom Armani, which helped define the "power look" of the early 90s.
- The Car: He originally wanted a Ferrari or a Porsche, but both companies refused to be associated with a movie about solicitation. That’s how he ended up in that silver Lotus Esprit.
There’s a reason Gere and Roberts reunited years later for Runaway Bride. The chemistry wasn't a fluke. Gere recently joked that they had "no chemistry" while watching clips of the film, but his smirk told a different story.
The Legacy of the "Suit"
When we talk about the best rom-com leads, Edward Lewis is always in the top five. He represents a specific kind of evolution—the man who has everything but realizes he has nothing. Gere took a character that could have been a villain (he was literally trying to dismantle a family-owned shipping company) and made us root for him to find his heart.
Actionable Insights for Movie Lovers:
- Watch the "3000" Script History: If you want to see how much Gere changed the tone, look up the original 3000 script online. It’s a fascinating look at how a dark indie drama became a Disney-owned blockbuster.
- Listen to the Soundtrack: Notice how the piano theme Gere composed is woven into the larger score by James Newton Howard.
- Check Out "The Agency": If you want to see Gere’s current work, his 2025/2026 projects like The Agency show a much grittier, older version of that same leading-man gravity.
The movie works because Richard Gere decided to find the man inside the suit. Without that Post-it note and that improvised piano session, we’d be talking about a very different, and likely much darker, film.