Pretty Woman Is Celebrating Its 30th Anniversary: Here Are Fun Facts About The Cult Film You Probably Didn’t Know

It’s been 30 years since Pretty Woman hit theaters, but what many don’t know it was almost a very different movie!

According to screenwriter J.F. Lawton “the original script had gone to Sundance, it was prestigious, it was viewed as serious art, so it was allowed to touch into this area of se*uality and money and pro*titution.”

However, this “director Garry Marshall was smart enough, because he’s got incredible pop instincts, to say, ‘OK, this is what people want to see — they want to see the fairy tale.’”

Imagine Pretty Woman WITHOUT Julia Roberts and Richard Gere! Well, that almost happened. Even though Roberts and Gere starred in the movie, several other actors were up for the parts of Vivian and Edward, including Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino.

Here are some other fun facts about Pretty Woman you probably don’t know!

It Was Going to Be a Dark Drama

Vivian was going to be a drug addict before Disney got involved with the movie.

The Name

Pretty Woman’s original name was $3,000, a reference to how much money Edward paid Vivian.

Several Actress Were Up for Vivian

Sandra Bullock, Madonna, Drew Barrymore, Kristin Davis, Meg Ryan and Sarah Jessica Parker were all reportedly up for Roberts’ iconic role.

Molly Ringwald Turned It Down

Ringwald revealed in April 2012 that she turned down the role of Vivian.

“Julia Roberts is what makes that movie. It was her part,” Ringwald said during a Reddit Q&A. “Every actor hopes for a part that lets them shine like that.”

The Iconic Red Dress Was Almost Black

Costume designer Marilyn Vance pushed for Vivian’s opera dress to be red instead of black.

The Movie Poster Isn’t Roberts

The actress’ head was Photoshopped onto her double’s body for the movie poster.

Gere Composed the Piano Piece

Gere was not only playing piano in the movie, but he composed the piece of music he played.