Onset prank for Julia Roberts became `Pretty woman` iconic scene

London: A scene in ‘Pretty woman’ featuring Julia Roberts’ character reacting with shock when Richard Gere closes a jewellery box on her hand is much loved by fans of the 1990 romantic comedy.

Now, the director of the film Gerry Marshall has revealed that the iconic scene was actually an onset prank meant for his hard partying leading lady Roberts, the Daily Express reported. Marshall said it was planned as revenge for Roberts for staying out late the night before the shoot. “(She was) a kid, so she goes out and parties, and sometimes she parties late and she comes to work and she’s a little sleepy. I said, ‘Richard, you gotta wake her up a little, so when she reaches for the box, slam it.’ ... It was a soft box; I would never hurt her. It was the last minute that we put it in the movie and it became like the trademark of the movie,” he told Entertainment Tonight. ANI