Pretty Woman with Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer? This is how the cast of the cult film was originally supposed to look like

premiered in American theaters on March 23, 1990. The romantic comedy grossed over $460 million and has been one of the most popular romantic comedies for 33 years. Today, we cannot imagine that the roles of Vivian and Edward could be played by other actors than Richard Gere. However, it was close, and on the screen, viewers would see other familiar faces in a completely different story. The first script of the film told a much darker story and was far from a modern Cinderella story.

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“Pretty Woman” could have ended differently. The original script did not have a happy ending

We almost knew the movie “Pretty Woman” as a much darker and sad story about unhappy love and drastic differences between the richest and those struggling with financial problems. In the first draft of the film, which was then called “3000”, Vivian is addicted to drugs. After spending a week with Edward, he throws her out of the limo, throwing the promised dollars in her direction. The story ends on a bus headed to Disneyland where Vivian and her friend Kit are headed. Disney producers were interested in the script. JF Lawton, at their urging, made major changes to the original idea.

The writer changed the ending. The reason was… Gere and Roberts

As JF Lawton admitted, the final shape, and above all the ending of the film, had Richard Gere cast in the main roles. “The chemistry between Julia and Gere, felt on screen, was also palpable during the auditions. I can’t imagine it could have ended any other way,” Lawton admitted in . Garry Marshall, the director of the film, added that the actors were perfectly matched. “They brought so much charm that viewers wouldn’t want a dark ending,” he admitted.

The main roles could have gone to other actors. Can you imagine “Pretty Woman” with Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino?

However, neither Julia Roberts nor Richard Gere were the first choice for the lead roles. Disney did not want to cast Roberts. The producers considered many popular and lesser-known actresses. The casting was attended by Drew Barrymore, Uma Thurman i Winona Ryder. Director Garry Marshall wanted to cast Meg Ryan in the lead role, but she declined. Michelle Pfeiffer, after carefully reviewing the script (then still in the original version), also turned down the proposal, because she thought the story was too dark.

When the list of actresses who rejected the offer began to grow, the producers decided to cast the 21-year-old, still unknown Julia Roberts in the lead role. It was she who persuaded Richard Gere to take on the role of Edward Lewis. The actor initially did not want to appear in the film, and the main male role could be played by … Al Pacino.