The year 1990 began with the birth of a star.
Julia Roberts was not the first choice for Pretty Woman. Hell, she wasn't the second, third, or even fifteenth choice. The studio (Disney) wanted Meg Ryan, the director (Garry Marshall) wanted Ryan or Karen Allen. Everyone in town auditioned, everyone in town turned it down. Diane Lane did costume fittings but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Lea Thompson and Winona Ryder auditioned, but no offer came.
And so it came down to 21-year-old Julia Roberts. Disney didn't want her, she wasn't a star - even though Mystic Pizza was a sleeper hit in 1988. Marshall did, and she didn't turn it down - she even convinced Richard Gere to accept the role of her leading man.
Well, you know the rest. Pretty Woman was an immediate box office hit worldwide, becoming, at that point, the fifth highest-grossing movie of all time. Screenwriter J.F. Lawton credits that success to Roberts' star power and her chemistry with Gere. Even critics who disliked the film praised her performance. Roberts won a Golden Globe, received nominations at the Oscars and the BAFTA Awards, and became probably the most famous actress in the entire world.
Here it is, along with nine other films from that period, in order of release:
