Though not really a sequel to “Pretty Woman,” “Runaway Bride,” opening Friday, already is being compared to that blockbuster. It reunites “Woman’s” two handsome and likable stars, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, with director Garry Marshall.
“Woman,” which came out in 1990, is one of the top-grossing films of all time. So, what took them so long to get back together? It wasn’t that people hadn’t tried — but the scripts, and the timing, were just never right till now, said the movie’s stars.
“We’re going to get offered almost any romantic comedy,” Gere said, “but neither (of us) found anything particularly appealing. . . . This was a better script (than `Pretty Woman’),” said Gere. “There were full-blown characters. The biggest problem with `Pretty Woman’ was, there was no character for me to play. I said basically, `I don’t have to show up, just put the suit out there.’ It took us a while to work out some kind of story for that character,” Gere said.
“Romantic comedy is a pretty limited genre,” agreed Julia Roberts. “There are some that I’ve seen that I’ve enjoyed but I’m glad I passed on.” Actually, viewers may consider this role a somewhat bold choice for Roberts: Those who’ve followed her string of romances are sure to compare Roberts with her character. She’s been engaged several times and broke up with actor Kiefer Sutherland just days before they were to be married. (She was later wed, briefly, to singer-actor Lyle Lovett.)
Gere said he was the one who convinced Roberts that “Bride” was the right vehicle. “I told her, `I like this script. Whether I do it or not, you should do it — it’s perfect for you,’ ” recalled Gere.
Still, once the deal was nearly done, the two stars could hardly believe that it was finally going to happen, Roberts said. “It made me second guess the script . . . I thought if, 10 years later, Richard and Garry and I were all agreeing on this and we’re all available, then it can’t be possible,” recalled Roberts.
“So, for the first time ever, I had to get a second opinion on a script, because it was all happening so fast, and it seemed so perfect. I thought, maybe I’m just caught up in the excitement,” Roberts admitted. “I thought, maybe the script isn’t that good. Maybe I just want it to be that good. So, I sent it off to my best friend (and boyfriend) — Benjamin Bratt — and he said, `Yeah, it’s a no-brainer. You have to do it.’ “
Gere recalls that, from the moment the duo did their first read-through of the script together, it seemed like old times. Snapping his finger, Gere said, “It was like that. It was like rolling off a log; the script played into what we did best.”
Almost immediately, Gere says, he and Roberts decided to ask Garry Marshall to direct them again. Marshall agreed. Hector Elizondo, who was also in “Pretty Woman” and a number of Marshall’s other films, was also cast as husband No. 2 to Gere’s ex-wife, played by Rita Wilson.
Marshall admits the dynamic had changed significantly since making “Pretty Woman.” In 1990, Roberts was an ingenue who had just started to gain notice in such pictures as “Mystic Pizza” and “Steel Magnolias.” Gere, on the other hand, was a big-time movie star, with such films as “American Gigolo” and “An Officer and a Gentleman” on his resume.
This time around, Roberts was the hotter star. Though Gere has continued to be a visible and popular actor, at almost 50 he has matured beyond his sex-symbol zenith. At 31, Roberts has hit her stride and — at the $20 million mark — is the highest-paid actress in Hollywood.
Marshall recalled working with them the first time around, contrasting that to how it was this time, now that Roberts has become a superstar. “They were really two kids. We celebrated her 22nd birthday on the set,” recalled Marshall, “and he was coming off hit movies . . . This time, while we were filming, this list came out of the Top 25 actresses in the country: Top of the list is Julia, and down the line is Joan Cusack. That’s who I was doing a scene with this day. So, I said, would the two top 25ers please come to the set and sit still?”
Marshall said shortly thereafter, another list came out that named Roberts one of the top actresses “dead or alive” of all time. He said with a laugh, “That kind of thing is intimidating to some people. Not to me; I knew her before `dead or alive.’ “
Roberts says that time has made her more sure of herself since she did “Pretty Woman.” “I certainly didn’t have the confidence then . . . I would have a wacky idea and then, at the last second, restrain myself for fear of making a complete idiot of myself in front of everyone. That’s not even a risk I consider any more,” said Roberts.
Marshall helped Roberts and the rest of the cast be wacky; he said he always likes to keep the atmosphere light, to alleviate boredom and keep people on the set from feeling awkward around the stars.
“Moviemaking is not the most glamorous thing in the world. It’s tedious and repetitive,” Marshall said. “So, we do things like have parties . . . we had a pumpkin-carving party at Halloween, and made floats (around Thanksgiving).”
On the personal side, Marshall noted that Gere and Roberts both seem happier and more grounded than they’ve been in years. Roberts is involved with actor Benjamin Bratt; it recently was announced that Gere will have his first child with his girlfriend, “Law & Order” actress Carey Lowell.
Gere also has become a devotee of Buddhism. At an interview, he wore prayer beads around his neck and a pinkish string around one wrist, both symbols of his faith. He seems more interested these days in discussing big, abstract issues — such as the meaning of life — than in analyzing his latest role.
Though Roberts didn’t broach the topic, Gere said he definitely would consider going to the altar again himself. “I did it once, and I kind of liked who I was when I was married (to model-actress Cindy Crawford),” he said with a smile.
Could wedding bells be ringing for Gere again soon? He is turning 50 at the end of August. Asked how he’d spend his birthday, he quickly responded, with another winning smile, “Do you think I’m going to tell you?”
