Richard Gere didn’t like his character

Richard Gere has certainly benefited from the success of Pretty Woman—both in terms of his career and his bank account. But he hasn’t always been entirely positive about the film, especially when it comes to his character, Edward. At a film festival in Venice, Gere described Edward as “criminally underwritten.” He added, “Basically, he’s just a suit and a good haircut.”

One scene in particular seemed to irk Gere, featuring Edward playing the piano while Vivian edges closer. Reflecting on it, Gere sarcastically remarked: ”I mean, no chemistry. This actor and this actress obviously had no chemistry between them… I haven’t seen that in a long time. That’s a sexy scene.”

Director Garry Marshall came up with the idea for the scene after asking Gere what he usually did late at night in a hotel. Gere recalled, “And I said, ‘Well, I’m usually jet lagged, [that] would be the time I’m in a hotel. So I’m up all night and usually there’s a ballroom somewhere or a bar, and I’ll find a piano and I’ll play the piano.’” Marshall then suggested, “Well, let’s do something with that.”

So, the scene was essentially improvised, with Gere explaining: “He said, ‘Play something moody.’ I just started playing something moody that was this character’s interior life.”

Then, just as mysteriously, they snap back to the original lineup in the third shot. It’s as if the condoms were having their own little dance routine behind the scenes.