Pretty Woman (1990) on Netflix
Vivian Ward, a street walker on Hollywood Boulevard, is hired by corporate raider Edward Lewis as his escort for a week of business events, and has to look the part.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb7.1/10412,097 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes66%
Trailer
Plot summary
Edward Lewis is a corporate raider who spends a week in Los Angeles working with his lawyer, Philip Stuckey, toward taking over the shipbuilding company owned by James Morse. He wants a woman on his arm for the week's business and social events, so he hires Vivian Ward, a street walker he meets on Hollywood Boulevard, as his escort. Saleswomen on Rodeo Drive refuse to serve her, and Barney Thompson, who manages the hotel where Edward is staying, helps her find a cocktail dress.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Pretty Woman (1990)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The film was initially conceived as a dark drama about prostitution in 1980s Los Angeles: in J. F. Lawton's original script, called 3000, Vivian was addicted to drugs, Edward eventually threw her out of his car and drove off, and the story ended with Vivian and her prostitute friend on the bus to Disneyland.
- Walt Disney Studios then-president Jeffrey Katzenberg insisted the film be rewritten as a modern-day fairy tale and love story rather than the original dark drama, and the title 3000 was changed because Disney executives thought it sounded like a title for a science-fiction film.
- Meg Ryan, who was the studio and Marshall's top choice, turned the role down; Diane Lane came very close to being cast and had gone as far as costume fittings before scheduling conflicts stopped her, and Michelle Pfeiffer turned it down, saying she did not like the script's "tone."
- Marshall originally envisioned Karen Allen for the role, and when she declined, Molly Ringwald turned it down as she felt "there was something icky" about the story, while Winona Ryder and Jennifer Connelly were both turned down for being too young.
- Ferrari and Porsche both declined the product placement opportunity for the car Edward drove, as neither firm wished to be associated with prostitutes, so Lotus Cars saw the placement value and supplied a Silver 1989 1/2 Esprit SE.
- Pretty Woman remained the highest-grossing R-rated film released by Walt Disney Studios, surpassing Cocktail and holding the record for 34 years until Marvel Studios' Deadpool & Wolverine surpassed it in 2024.
- Pacino went as far as doing a casting reading with Roberts before rejecting the part, as he had just been cast in The Godfather Part III.
- Daryl Hannah was considered for the role but believed it was "degrading to women", while Valeria Golino was not selected because of her thick Italian accent and Jennifer Jason Leigh had auditioned.
