Molly Ringwald admits she's grateful for rejecting 'icky' Pretty Woman role

30 April 2023 , 21:47

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Molly Ringwald insists she has no regrets (Image: Getty Images for TIME)

Pretty in Pink actress Molly Ringwald told how she once turned down the lead role in the 1990 romcom Pretty Woman.

Sex worker Vivian Ward fell in love with a rich client played by Richard Gere in one of the most iconic movie roles of all time that made a star out of Julia Roberts.

Roberts, who is now 55, won an Oscar nomination for her role in the film but Ringwald insists that she has no regrets.

Having rejected the job, Molly was subsequently offered a role in the 1991 crime movie, Silence of the Lambs, as well as Working Girl, which was released in 1988.

However, Molly went on to praise Roberts for her "wonderful" performance but described the plot as "icky".

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Molly Ringwald at the 2023 Time100 Gala (Patricia Schlein/STAR MAX/IPx)

American actors Richard Gere and Julia Roberts on the set of Pretty Woman (Corbis via Getty Images)

Speaking to The Guardian. she said: "Julia Roberts was wonderful in it, but I didn’t really like the story. Even then, I felt like there was something icky about it."

She added: "I didn’t really feel like darker roles were available to me, the ones that I wanted to do, I didn't get, I was too young for certain roles."

In addition to her film work, Ringwald has also acted on television and stage and has released an album of jazz music.

Molly admits she's grateful she turned down the role (FilmMagic)

She is also a published author, having written a memoir titled "Getting the Pretty Back" and a novel titled "When It Happens to You."

Ringwald continues to act and perform today and has also become an advocate for various causes, including education and LGBTQ+ rights.

Ringwald was said to have been rejected from 1988's Working Girl.

Mike Nichols, the movie's director, was reported to have told her: “She really needs to be at that moment where you feel the pain.

“You have your whole life ahead of you – nobody’s going to believe that of you.”

The plot of the 1990 flick Pretty Woman has come under criticism in the modern era for its depiction of sex work and its portrayal of women.

David Raven