Thanks to their performances in Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere have long been considered one of the greatest romantic pairs of the modern cinematic era, but what may surprise you is that the on-screen coupling may not have happened if it had not been for one tiny little Post-It Note.
With Pretty Woman celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Laura San Giacomo and Hector Elizondo and director Garry Marshall visited The Today Show to celebrate, and it was while talking with Matt Lauer that Gere and Roberts revealed the story of how the latter convinced the former to be her co-star in the beloved romantic comedy. The story began with it being explained that the actor had actually turned down the role of Edward Lewis multiple times (Gere saying, "You could put a suit on a goat and put it out there, and it would work"), but what turned it all around was an introduction that Marshall arranged between his would-be leads.
Roberts explained that Marshall brought her to Richard Gere's apartment in New York City (though Gere claims he doesn't even remember the director's presence because he was "mesmerized," adding, "I just remember the girl). After Marshall left, the actors sat across from each other at a desk and got to know one another, with Gere describing it as being "flirty-flirty, nice-nice." At one point during their chat, Gere got a phone call from Marshall, who was asking for an update on how things were going. Roberts took this opportunity to grab a Post-It Note, scribble a message, and pass it to her future co-star. As Gere described it,
She turns [the note] around, and she pushes it to me. It said, 'Please say yes.' It was so sweet. And I was like [miming talking on the phone], 'I just said yes.' "
The rest of it is really just cinematic history, as both Julia Roberts and Richard Gere wound up putting on rather iconic performances in Pretty Woman, forever cementing in in pop culture legend. Yesterday was actually the official 25th anniversary of the film hitting theaters, but this probably should be the last we expect to hear about the romantic comedy in 2015. It's made very clear in the Today Show interview that a Pretty Woman 2 definitely isn't happening, but surely there are huge fans of the movie out there who are doing their best to celebrate their love in the biggest way possible.
Head over to Page Two to watch the full Today Show interview with the Pretty Woman cast!
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