A car blunder in Julia Roberts‘ $463 million comedy led to a totally different movie, but none of it made it into the final cut. The actress first gained recognition during the late 1980s for her roles in the romantic comedy Mystic Pizza and the dramedy Steel Magnolias, the latter resulting in her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. During the 1990s, Roberts would become one of Hollywood’s biggest and most bankable stars, starting with the blockbuster rom-com Pretty Woman, which also earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Pretty Woman made over $463 million at the box office which, at the time of its release in 1990, was the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time, behind only E.T., Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Jaws. Throughout the 1990s, she starred in several more hit romantic comedies, such as My Best Friend’s Wedding, Notting Hill, and Runaway Bride. However, in 2000, it was for the biographical legal drama Erin Brockovich that Roberts finally won her first Academy Award for Best Actress.

A Car Blunder In Pretty Woman Led To A Totally Different Movie

But None Of It Made It To The Final Cut

A car blunder in Pretty Woman led to a totally different movie, but none of it made it into the final cut. Directed by Gary Marshall, the 1990 rom-com stars Julia Roberts as a highly-priced call-girl, Vivian Ward, who is hired by Richard Gere’s wealthy corporate raider, Edward Lewis, to accompany him to various business and social functions, and their relationship ends up escalating over the course of a week. The movie also stars Jason Alexander as Edward’s insensitive lawyer and Amy Yasbeck as his wife.

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the premiere of The Electric State, which happened to coincide with the 35th anniversary of Pretty Woman, Jason Alexander shared his favorite on-set memory from the film. He and Amy Yasbeck pulled up to the Polo Grounds in a Lotus car, and when she stepped out and slammed the door, the window shattered. The director kept rolling while the actors improvised for five minutes, telling a totally different movie, Alexander says, but none of it made it into the final cut. Read his full comments or watch the portion of the video below:

They gave us that fabulous Lotus car and when Amy Yasbeck and I pulled up at the Polo Grounds, we’re just supposed to get out of the car and somehow, for no reason, when she slammed her pᴀssenger door, the window shattered and Gary kept rolling the film, and we went for about 5 minutes. We told a whole other movie in that five minutes. None of it got in the film, but it was great at the blooper room.

What Jason Alexander’s Story Means For Pretty Woman

Actors Were Allowed To Improvise Freely

Jason Alexander’s story highlights how Gary Marshall, an experienced comedic director, allowed his actors to improvise freely on the set of Pretty Woman. In fact, the moment when Richard Gere playfully closes the lid of the jewelry case on Julia Roberts’ fingers was improvised, and her surprised laughter was genuine. Jason Alexander and Amy Yasbeck’s improvised five-minute scene didn’t make it into Pretty Woman, though it would be interesting to see how they told a totally different movie.

Source: ET