A Very Big Age Difference
People say age is just a number, but when the gap between two co-stars (especially when they’re a man and a woman) is significantly big, age does seem to play a part. When “Pretty Woman” was filmed, Julia Roberts was 18 years younger than Richard Gere. She was 22, and he was 40!
This seems to have paved the way for Gere since, after that, he became known for dating (much) younger women, such as Hillary Swank (25 years younger), Winona Ryder (22 years younger), and Julie Delpy (21 years younger).
The Cinderella Complex
Some people classify "Pretty Woman" as a Cinderella Complex film. The famous website Box Office Mojo, which tracks box office revenue for Hollywood's biggest films, places "Pretty Woman" in this category. Which, as the name clearly suggests, means it tries to be a modern-day version of the much fantasized Cinderella story (the poor girl that falls in love with a prince and all of her dreams come true).
This Cinderella Complex genre also features films like "The Devil Wears Prada," "She's All That," and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." But Pretty Woman is listed as the second highest-grossing film in the category.
Not Your Average Disney Movie
Believe it or not, Pretty Woman is a Disney movie. It purchased its screenplay and, since many of the movie's themes are not exactly family-friendly, they produced it under Touchstone Pictures, its film distribution label that carries movies intended for a mature audience.
This minute detail is easy to miss, and it’s quite surprising when you first learn about it.
The Song That Matched the Title
While it was already decided that the original title, 3000, would be changed, it took some time for the production group to formalize the use of its new name. "Pretty Woman" is borrowed from the famous song by Roy Orbison. So they also had to get the rights to use the song’s title, "Pretty Woman", for the movie.
Once production finally got the green light to use the title, they realized how fitting it was for the story and Julia Roberts’ character.
Please Say Yes
Richard Gere thought he had better roles out there to play at the time and thought Edward was such a boring character. Why risk it or waste his time? Get a goat and put a suit on it, and that could be your Edward, he said. But he eventually changed his mind after he met Julia Roberts, who traveled to New York City to coax him into playing the role.
After they met, Roberts slipped a personal note that said, “Please say yes,” and he liked her already. He accepted the job mainly on account of their chemistry.