When you talk about the films and the movie stars of the nineties, you cannot have that conversation without mentioning Julia Roberts. Pretty Woman, the movie that made her a star, was the #1 movie this week back in 1990. The film actually first hit number one back in late March but had to take a back seat to The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for an entire month before roaring back to the top spot for three more weeks.
The movie was originally much darker but it was reworked as a romantic comedy. Pretty Woman and When Harry Met Sally are both films credited with bringing back the genre of rom-coms. The film is still one of the highest grossing romantic comedies of all time.
Roberts was not Director Gary Marshall’s first choice for the film. Karen Allen of Raider’s of the Lost Ark fame was his first choice, but she turned it down. Other actresses who turned down the role include Molly Ringwald, Meg Ryan, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Darryl Hannah.