'Pretty Woman' Had A Tragic Ending And Richard Gere Was Not Keen To Do It, Reveals Julia Roberts During Its 25th Anniversary

“Pretty Woman,” unarguably one of the world's most romantic flicks of all time, was not suppose to have a happy ending. The romantic story of a street girl Vivian and a middle-aged wealthy businessman Edward, was actually written keeping in mind the ill-effects of drug addiction. The shocking revelation was made by the cast of “Pretty Woman” when they gathered to celebrate the film's 25th anniversary.

The film's cast Julia Roberts (Vivian), Richard Gere (Edward), Laura San Giacomo (Kit), Hector Elizondo (Barney) and director Garry Marshall re-united after twenty-five years at the “The Today Show” recently. The chat show host Matt Lauer asked everyone to talk about their favorite memories regarding the film. It was revealed that the 1990 romantic comedy was actually written in a darker tone and had a tragic end. Vivian was a drug addict and she is eventually abandoned by Edward, according to film's original ending.

“Richard’s character threw my character out of the car, threw the money on top of her and drove away and the credits rolled,” Roberts is quoted as saying at the show (via The Wrap). But as luck would have it, the film was transferred to Disney and they hired director Marshall to work on it. “Pretty Woman” was made into a modern day Cinderella story.

It was also revealed during the chat show that Gere was not very keen on doing the film initially as he was of the opinion that his character “lacked depth.” The actor also said that there was a joke that the role “was a suit.” “You could put a suit on a goat and put it out there, and it would work,” added the actor. But Gere changed his mind when he met Roberts in Marshall's office.

When Roberts met Gere for the first time, she passed him a post-it note which read, “Please say yes!” The actor immediately said yes for the role. The film became a huge success worldwide making Gere and Roberts the most popular actors. Gere also added that he is still known for his role of Edward till date, even in the remote parts of the world.

For any question/comment on the show, you may contact the writer at: n.tewari@ibtimes.com.au