Earning the role of "Vivian Ward" in Pretty Woman was the opportunity of a lifetime for Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts. The film solidified her status as "America's Sweetheart" in the early '90s, and also helped her obtain both a Best Actress Golden Globe award and her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
Still, Roberts has the success of Pretty Woman to thank, along with a fellow household name as equally familiar with playing quintessential Hollywood characters— '80s Brat Pack icon Molly Ringwald.
During a Reddit AMA in 2012, the Pretty in Pink actress revealed that although she was up for the part of Vivian, it ultimately wasn't hers to take. "I think I saw an early draft, and it was called $3000. I don't specifically remember turning it down," admitted Ringwald. "The script was okay, but I gotta say, Julia Roberts is what makes the movie. It was her part. Every actor hopes for a part that lets them shine like that. Roberts made the part of Vivian, a sex worker, her own, opposite Richard Gere, who was known as wealthy corporate raider Edward Lewis in Pretty Woman."
Many years later, Ringwald further explained what turned her off from starring in the Garry Marshall rom-com. She admitted to The Guardian in 2023, "Julia Roberts was wonderful in it, but I didn't really like the story. Even then, I felt like there was something icky about it." In the same article, the When It Happens to You author went into detail about the heavy weight of being a teen idol while having an inescapable girl-next-door image. "I needed to get out from under all that scrutiny. I just wasn't cut out for it in a way that certain other people are. Some people are really good at it. Taylor Swift is amazing! But I didn't feel comfortable with that level of stardom," she stated.
Molly Ringwald at Family Equality's Night; Photo by Adela Loconte/Variety via Getty Images"I didn't really feel like darker roles were available to me. The ones that I wanted to do, I didn't get. I was too young for certain roles. I was at this weird in-between stage." Ringwald was turned down for the lead in the 1988 romantic dramedy Working Girl and for the lead female role in the 1991 psychological horror thriller The Silence of the Lambs. Jodie Foster famously landed the part in the latter as "Clarice Starling."
Molly Ringwald and Julia Roberts have continued to carve their own successful paths in Hollywood since the release of Pretty Woman. In recent years, Ringwald has captivated audiences in TV shows including Riverdale, Feud, and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. And Roberts has kept her fans engaged with dazzling roles in recent movies such as After the Hunt, Leave the World Behind, Ticket to Paradise, and Wonder.
As for Pretty Woman, the movie hit its 35th anniversary in 2025.
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