Today assembled the cast of Pretty Woman plus director Garry Marshall in honour of the 25th anniversary of the movie’s release.
Some were “seeing each other for the first time since they were on that same set,” Matt Lauer boasted on Tuesday. Which is just to say that actress Laura San Giacomo is the odd man out, since everyone else in the group — Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Hector Elizondo and Marshall — worked together on the 1999 romantic comedy Runaway Bride.
(Ever more poignantly, San Giacomo was given a chance to say nothing more than a quick “uh-huh” during the segment, though more of the chat will air on Wednesday.)
Things started out a little awkwardly. “If I forget to tell you later, I had a really good time,” Lauer began — drawing a somewhat blank look from Gere. Roberts, giggling, turned to her co-star and explained the comment: “That was in the movie. I don’t know if you remember that.”
Things didn’t go more smoothly when Lauer transitioned to ask the gang if it actually seems like Pretty Woman was released a full 25 years ago.
“It doesn’t to me,” Robert said, apparently unsure what more to say.
“It feels like a long time ago we did that,” Gere chimed in. “But then, as I was saying, that was two marriages ago for me...”
All right then. Marshall went on to discuss how the movie was initially supposed to be a dark drama about drug abuse and why he decided to cast Roberts. Just as she did in the movie, Roberts stole the show with her huge smile and contagious laughter. Sure, she’s a serial interrupter, but that tendency enlivened an otherwise dull interview — and plus bailed out Gere more than once.
Asked what his favourite scene was from the movie, he responded: “Any scene where Julia was walking, which was fun for all of us... in that outfit, yeah. It was all about legs.”
Ew. Roberts skillfully redirected attention from his dirty-old-man soliloquy: “And those crazy boots! And I had my red jacket. And my little wig.” Good save.
The interview also redeemed the culturally maligned Post-It note. You know, the office staple tainted by heartbreak ever since Berger dumped Carrie using one on Sex in the City. Gere explained that Roberts won him with a sticky note. He had been agonising over whether to sign on to play a character that seemed like such an empty suit. But during a first meet-and-greet with Roberts, Marshall called Gere to see how things were going. Roberts, who was already charming him, took the opportunity to scribble on a Post-It and slide the note over to Gere. It read: “Please say yes.”
And he did. “It was so sweet,” he said. Consider yourself vindicated, yellow stickies.
