25 things you didn’t know about your favorite rom-coms

Pretty Woman: Hives and a forehead vein almost ruined it

Pretty Woman is another age old tale of a rich man falling for a poor woman. But unlike Maid in Manhattan, this isn’t the story of a maid and a politician. Instead, it’s a businessman and a prostitute with a sparkling smile.

By now, it’s common knowledge that one of the film’s most iconic scenes was improvised. It wasn’t written in the script for Edward (Richard Gere) to snap the necklace case down on Vivian’s (Julia Roberts) finger. Roberts’s reaction — that infectious laughter — was completely genuine, and director Garry Marshall loved it, so they kept it in the film.

Pretty Woman is one of the most loved rom-coms in history, with two of the biggest stars of that era. You might think that a beautiful star like Julia Roberts and a big screen heartthrob like Richard Gere would immediately have firework-like chemistry. But did you know the famous duo really struggled with their sex scenes?

Apparently, Roberts was so nervous about their lovemaking scene that she had a huge vein popping on her forehead and she broke out in hives. Director Garry Marshall got into bed with the pair, and he and Gere massaged her forehead until the vein disappeared (sounds … fun). To help with her hives, Marshall gave her calamine lotion before they could shoot the scene.

Maybe Roberts realized just how handsome Gere was and her body just couldn’t handle being that intimate with him! Or maybe it was just an off day. But in the end, thankfully, they got the shot and the movie became a huge hit.

See, even huge stars get nervous!