Hollywood has this weird way of trying to manufacture chemistry. You see it all the time in those high-budget rom-coms where the leads look great on a poster but have the collective spark of a wet match. Then, once in a generation, you get something like Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.
It’s been over thirty years since Pretty Woman turned a dark, gritty script about the Los Angeles sex trade into a global fairy tale. Honestly, the movie shouldn't have worked. The original ending involved Richard Gere’s character, Edward, literally throwing Julia Roberts’ character, Vivian, out of a car and tossing cash at her in a dirty alley. Grim stuff. But then these two got in a room together, and the entire trajectory of 90s cinema shifted.
The Post-It Note That Changed Everything
Most people don't realize that Richard Gere actually turned down the role of Edward Lewis multiple times. He wasn't into it. He thought the character was "criminally underwritten"—basically just a suit and a haircut. He wasn't wrong.
Director Garry Marshall, a man who knew a hit when he smelled one, flew a then-relatively unknown Julia Roberts to New York to meet Gere. They sat in his apartment, and the air was thick with whatever "it" is. Marshall eventually stepped out to let them talk. In a 2024 interview, Gere recalled how Roberts took a Post-it note from his desk, wrote "Please say yes" on it, and slid it across the table.
That was it. He was in.
The chemistry wasn't just a marketing ploy. On set, they were constantly riffing. You know that famous scene where he snaps the jewelry box shut on her fingers? That wasn't in the script. Gere did it to make her laugh because she was nervous. Her reaction—that massive, world-ending laugh—was 100% real. It’s arguably the moment she became a superstar.
Why Runaway Bride Felt Different
By the time 1999 rolled around, fans were desperate for a sequel. We didn't get Pretty Woman 2, but we got Runaway Bride. It felt like a high school reunion where everyone had grown up but the inside jokes were still funny.
A lot of critics at the time complained that the movie was too safe. Maybe it was. But if you watch them together in the scene where they’re just sitting on the porch talking about eggs—how she doesn't even know how she likes her eggs because she just mimics her boyfriends—there’s a level of comfort there that you can't fake.
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Gere has often said that Julia is "lit from the inside." It's a sentiment that hasn't faded with time. Even recently, at the Venice Film Festival, he joked about them having "no chemistry" while watching the iconic piano scene, clearly poking fun at how obviously electric they were.
The Truth About the Rumors
Were they ever a "thing" in real life?
The short answer is: no. Not in the way the tabloids wanted them to be. While gossip columns in the early 90s tried to link them, they both had complicated personal lives at the time. Julia was navigating the chaos of sudden, massive fame, and Gere was already an established A-lister.
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What they actually had was a deep, protective friendship. During the filming of Pretty Woman, Julia was so stressed during the intimate scenes that a vein literally popped out on her forehead. Garry Marshall and Richard Gere actually had to massage her forehead to get her to relax. That’s not "secret affair" energy; that’s "looking out for your teammate" energy.
Where They Stand in 2026
Fast forward to today. Julia Roberts is still the queen of the smart thriller and the occasional prestige drama. Richard Gere has shifted more into indie roles and activism, even moving to Spain recently to be with his wife’s family.
They don't hang out every weekend, but when they do cross paths, the mutual respect is glaring. In a recent TV appearance, Julia joked about the fate of their characters. She deadpanned that Edward Lewis probably "passed away peacefully in his sleep from a heart attack, smiling," while Vivian took over his business. As for their Runaway Bride characters? She thinks they’re still together.
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How to Capture That "Gere-Roberts" Energy in Your Own Life
We can't all be 90s movie stars, but there is a takeaway from their decades-long bond.
- Trust the "Please Say Yes" Moments: Sometimes, a simple, vulnerable request works better than a complex pitch.
- Improvisation Wins: The best moments in their films—the piano scene, the jewelry box—were unscripted. Don't be afraid to go off-book in your own projects.
- Chemistry Is About Contrast: Garry Marshall once told Gere that in their scenes, "one moves and one doesn't." Julia was the energy; Richard was the anchor. Find people who balance your frequency rather than just mirroring it.
If you're looking to revisit their work, skip the YouTube clips and watch the 30th-anniversary cast reunions. You can see the way they look at each other; it’s not the look of two people who had a fleeting fling, but two people who shared a foxhole during the peak of Hollywood's rom-com era.