Actor Slams Iconic Role That Made Him a Star 35 Years Ago: ‘Just a Suit and a Haircut!’

While Pretty Woman catapulted Richard Gere to international stardom, the actor has never truly loved the character that brought him fame—and he’s not shy about expressing it. During his appearance at last year’s Venice Film Festival, where he celebrated his 75th birthday with a masterclass, the American actor was candid about his role as Edward Lewis, the wealthy businessman who falls in love with a prostitute played by Julia Roberts.

Although he fondly remembers the filming process and the overall atmosphere on set, Richard Gere is quite critical of how his character was written.

“We had fun making the film,” he admitted according to Variety. “But we had no idea whether people would actually want to see it.”

While he acknowledges that the film works as a romantic comedy, he didn’t hesitate to mock his own role: “In Pretty Woman, my part was so poorly written it was almost criminal,” he joked, adding: “Basically, it was all about a suit and a haircut.”

Released in 1990 under the direction of Garry Marshall, Pretty Woman quickly became a global phenomenon. Made on a modest budget of 14 million dollars, the film raked in over 460 million dollars at the global box office and attracted millions of viewers, including in France where it surpassed 4 million admissions.

Despite this success, Richard Gere has never been completely comfortable with the superficial and shallow image portrayed by his character.

Nevertheless, the actor has not disappeared from the screen. Last year, he starred in Oh, Canada, a drama by Paul Schrader, showcased at Cannes, as well as in the drama-comedy thriller Longing, alongside Diane Kruger, which has not yet been released in France.

He was also seen in The Agency, the American adaptation of the French series Le Bureau des légendes, available for streaming on Canal+.

His iconic film is also available for streaming: Pretty Woman is indeed accessible on Disney+.