Perfect for the Part
Richard Gere was skeptical about his role as Edward, but Julia Roberts had no qualms about hers. The actress knew that she wanted to play the part of Vivian, but Gary Marshall and the producers weren’t quite sure yet. They had a list of prominent actresses whom they considered before Gary became convinced that there could be no Vivian without Roberts.
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Actresses such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Molly Ringwald, and Sandra Bullock were offered the role, but they all turned it down. Eventually, Gary Marshall realized that Julia Roberts was perfect for the role, and he recast her into the film after Disney took over. And it was a good thing that he did because we truly think there could be no better Vivian than Julia Roberts.