At 57, Julia Roberts Finally Opens Up About Richard Gere — Fans Can’t Help But Gasp
Julia Roberts, now 57, has offered some surprising new thoughts about her much-loved onscreen romance with Richard Gere — namely, what she imagines has become of their characters from Pretty Woman more than three decades later. Her reflections, full of heart and nostalgia, have stirred excitement among longtime fans of the iconic film.
In an interview with CBS Mornings, Roberts revisited her breakout role as Vivian Ward, and her co-star Richard Gere’s character Edward Lewis. When asked what became of Edward after the movie ends, she revealed: “I think he passed away peacefully in his sleep from a heart attack, smiling.” Vivian, she proposed, has carried on not just with life, but with purpose. “And now she runs his business,” Roberts said, imagining a bittersweet passing of the torch.
Roberts didn’t stop with Pretty Woman. She also revisited her other famous romantic comedies with similar “where are they now” imaginings. For Runaway Bride, she believes Maggie and Ike (her character and Gere’s) stayed together, that their story continued beyond the wedding bells, without tragedy.
Her vivid conjectures extend further: in Mystic Pizza, Roberts hopes her onscreen character Daisy and Charles are still together and raising children. Meanwhile, in Notting Hill, she sees Anna (her role) having six children, maintaining her figure (with a wry, self‐aware nod), and running a knitting annex attached to William’s beloved bookshop.
These creative guesses illustrate not only Roberts’s fondness for her earlier work, but also a willingness to revisit her characters with a touch of realism mixed with whimsy. It’s a reminder that the stories actors help to create stay alive in fans’ imaginations — and in Roberts’s own reflections — long after the cameras stop rolling.
Her commentary also highlights how enduring the chemistry with Richard Gere remains in popular culture. Though Roberts and Gere haven’t shared a recent project, their partnership in Pretty Woman (1990) and Runaway Bride (1999) continues to evoke strong affection and interest.
Some of Roberts’s revelations were unexpected and bittersweet — particularly her belief that Edward eventually died. But she balances those moments with warmth and hope: that Vivian carries forward, that love and companionship endure, and that characters she cared for still matter in storytelling.
Fans, predictably, have reacted with emotion — gasps, reflections, and chatter about whether Roberts’s imagined futures feel real. In many ways, her confessions show how actors grow with their roles, reinterpreting them as they grow older, as time passes. Just as audiences remember Pretty Woman as a romantic fantasy, Roberts now offers a mirror of possibility — one where love persists, characters evolve, and legacies extend beyond the final credits.
