Actors are used to facing rejection and, in rare cases, even humiliation at Hollywood auditions. Even famous actors have faced disappointment in the casting process. The late Christopher Reeve, best known for his starring role in the 1978 film. Superman and three of its sequels were involved in one such incident.
Reeve once attended an audition for a film whose original working title was 3000. Yes, we’re talking about the late director Garry Marshall. Pretty Woman, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.
Did you know that several actors auditioned for the role of Edward Lewis? Pretty Woman in front of Gere? Sylvester Stallone, Al Pacino and Burt Reynolds were given the opportunity to play Edward but declined. In addition, Marshall took into account Christopher Reeve, Denzel Washington, Kevin Kline and Daniel Day-Lewis.
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Christopher Reeve’s humiliating audition Pretty Woman
There is no denying that Edward Lewis, a businessman from Pretty Woman, perfectly matched the charm and good looks of Richard Gere. When he was being considered for the role, other famous actors were also considered as potential candidates. As mentioned, actors such as Denzel Washington, Christopher Reeve and Al Pacino, among others, were considered, but the creators ultimately decided that Gere was the best fit, and his on-screen chemistry with Julia Roberts was proof of their decision.
Roberts allegedly failed to do a reading with Christopher Reeve when the late actor, who died Oct. 10, 2004, showed up for an audition. As a result, the role was read by the casting director instead.
Reeve became angry, tore up his script and left after the director reportedly did such a poor job. In his autobiography Still me Bostonians star indicated (for IMDb):
“I had to do scenes with a casting director who had her nose buried in the pages reading about some community theater rejection. Halfway through the second scene, anger, disappointment and humiliation got the better of me.”
However, his audition for the film turned out to be “humiliating” alone, and in his autobiography he stated that the filmmakers had no right to treat any actor in such a manner (via IMDb):
“I tore the pages in half, threw them on the floor, told Garry Marshall and the producers that they had no right to treat any actor like that, and kicked them out of the room.”
Meanwhile, Pacino said he turned down the lead role in the film. Pretty Woman in a 2007 interview Larry King live because
“Sometimes it’s just not the right role.” and he didn’t feel at home there.
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Pretty WomanDid the creators of the series not want Julia Roberts to play the lead role?
Although other actors competed for the roles of Vivian Ward and Edward Lewis, Pretty Woman marked the beginning of the romantic partnership between Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.
Months were spent searching for the perfect actress to play Vivian. Before Roberts, several actresses were considered for this position. For example, Garry Marshall originally wanted Karen Allen to play the role, but she turned it down. After that, many famous actresses were invited to play this role, including Drew Barrymore, Brooke Shields, Uma Thurman, Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder.
Julia Roberts, then 21, was given the opportunity to audition for the role after several actresses turned her down. However, The makers were initially not interested in casting her in the lead role and the director was hesitant to do so due to her inexperience.
In the end, runaway Bride The actress’s outstanding performance at her first screen tests made them change their minds. Talking to She knows in 2009 Marshall said:
“She (Julia Roberts) came off the screen. Not so personal. She seemed like a sweet, smart and beautiful girl to me. As soon as the camera was pointed at her, oh my God, she snapped.”
Let’s just say everything worked out for the better.
Despite all the difficulties Pretty Woman When pitted against each other, Roberts and Gere were always destined to play Vivian and Edward, respectively. In fact, they worked together again to create the beloved rom-com. Runaway Bride, proving how strong their bond is.
Julia Roberts’ next film will be a psychological thriller Leave the world behind also stars Mahershala Ali, Mikha’la Herrold, Kevin Bacon and Ethan Hawke.
You can see Pretty Woman on DIRECTV.
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Source – IMDb; Larry King Live; She knows