- Actor-Shared Background: Vivian states that she was originally from Georgia and she has a mild Southern accent (notably in her "well, color me happy!" line the first time she is in the elevator). Julia Roberts is originally from Smyrna, Georgia. Garry Marshall was not entirely sure that her accent could be successfully hidden and the line about Vivian's hometown was added to explain any slips.
- Author Phobia: Garry Marshall shares a fear of heights with Edward Lewis.
- Career Resurrection: For Richard Gere. After he hit a slump in the mid-80's when King David flopped, this film and Internal Affairs made him a bankable star once more.
- The Cast Showoff: Not only is Richard Gere clearly playing the piano for real in one scene, but he also composed the music himself.
- Creator Backlash: Richard Gere doesn't like the movie: he called it the least favorite of his films, and criticized it for glamorizing Wall Street traders.
- Deleted Scene:
- The 15th anniversary DVD re-inserts them back in the film while replacing existing sequences, with no option for the theatrical cut. This can be especially jarring for long-time viewers of the movie, especially since the jewel case gives no indication that the film was altered.
- In one such scene, Vivian asks Edward to get her "a little rock", then complains that she can't go a whole week without getting high when he refuses.
- Executive Meddling: Of the profitable variety.
- Meaningful Name: Vivian, which means "lively" (from the same root as "vivacious" and "vivid"), indicating her personality and the effect she has on people, in contrast to the more straight-laced Edward.
- Mid-Development Genre Shift: The original script, entitled $3000, was a lot darker and more depressing than what was eventually used. It didn't turn into a modern-day fairy tale until it was bought by Disney and given an extensive rewrite.
- Referenced by...: Has its own page.
- Star-Making Role: For Julia Roberts.
- Throw It In!: The scene where Edward shuts the jewelry box on Vivian's hand was originally just an on-set practical joke (Roberts looks towards the crew when she laughs). But they thought her reaction was better than just having her gently touch the necklace as intended.
- What Could Have Been:
- In the original script Vivian was a cocaine addict, and she spends her entire week with Edward going through withdrawals because he won't let her buy drugs while she's with him. Some of this did make it into the final script; remember Vivian's nervousness and tendency to fidget? Those are telltale signs of cocaine use. And the bathroom scene where Edward thinks she's doing cocaine but she's just using dental floss? In the original script she really was doing coke.
- And speaking of drugs, Vivian's friend Kit was a full-blown junkie who was probably going to die from her drug problems.
- The film didn't end with Edward giving Vivian a rose and driving off into the sunset with her, it ended with Edward giving her an envelope full of the money he promised her and driving out of Vivian's life forever (while she screams and cries and tells him she hates him - because she fell in love with him and he's abandoning her back to a life of prostitution). Ironically, none of the three writers who reworked J.F. Lawton's original script received screen credit.
- Disney originally wanted Meg Ryan for Vivian. Other actresses who turned down the role include Karen Allen, Drew Barrymore, Daryl Hannah, Diane Lane, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Molly Ringwald. Actresses who unsuccessfully auditioned for the role include Jennifer Connelly, Kristin Davis, Valeria Golino, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Winona Ryder, Brooke Shields, Lea Thompson, and Uma Thurman.
- Al Pacino turned down the role of Edward after a screen test with Julia Roberts. Christopher Reeve was also offered the role. When he went in to do a reading, he was not given actress Julia Roberts to read with, but the casting director, giving a half hearted effort at best. Reeve felt this was extremely unprofessional and chose not to do the film. Other candidates were Tom Berenger, Albert Brooks, Bruce Campbell, Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, Danny Glover, Charles Grodin, Christopher Lambert, Daniel Day-Lewis, Dennis Quaid, Burt Reynolds, Sylvester Stallone, John Travolta, Denzel Washington.
- Demi Moore turned down the role of Kit.
- Working Title: $3000.
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