Pretty Woman made Julia Roberts a star. There’s no doubt about that. She starred alongside Richard Gere in the hit 1990 romantic-comedy that was directed by the late Garry Marshall. The movie became a massive hit, and Julia formed a long-lasting bond with Garry. Julia sat down to pay tribute to Garry and the impact he had on her life during The Happy Days of Garry Marshall special.
“After Pretty Woman, Garry gave me a necklace and he gave me a great card that he wrote for me, and the necklace had a diamond heart on it. And it’s so that I would always remember that wherever I was that there was someone that loved me and was on my side,” the 52-year-old said with tears in her eyes. Before the tears can fall, she cracks, “Alright, let’s move onto the funny stuff with Garry.” Garry, Julia, and Richard all made a pact to work together again, and they reunited 10 years later for Runaway Bride.
On the set of Pretty Woman, Garry was focused on making Julia laugh. Why? “Nobody laughs better than Julia,” Garry said in a voiceover. While filming the bathtub scene, Garry had the whole cast and crew run off the set as Julia is under the water. When Julia came up, there was no one in sight. She started screaming and laughing over this prank.
Garry passed away on July 19, 2016. In his final days, so many people he worked with over the years came to say their final goodbyes to the man who had such a profound on them. Julia went to see Garry and opened up about her last moments with Garry. “Even in the saddest moments when you feel like you’re going to lose a friend, there’s too much to be happy about to ever be too sad,” Julia said. “I was there, and I just felt really honored that I got to spend some time with him.”