Julia Roberts' Pretty Woman Role Draws 2023 icky Critique from Molly Ringwald
Molly Ringwald revisited julia roberts' defining role in Pretty Woman in 2023, saying she did not really like the story and felt there was something “icky” about it. The remark put a fresh critical lens on a film that helped turn Roberts into America’s Sweetheart and set up one of the most durable casting what-ifs of the era.
Ringwald on Vivian Ward
In 2012, Ringwald said during a Reddit AMA that she had been up for the role of Vivian Ward and had seen an early draft called $3000. She also said, “I don't specifically remember turning it down,” then added, “The script was okay, but I gotta say, Julia Roberts is what makes the movie.”
Her view in 2023 was sharper. She told, “Julia Roberts was wonderful in it, but I didn't really like the story,” and, “Even then, I felt like there was something icky about it.” That matters because Ringwald was not speaking as an outsider; she was revisiting a part she nearly played and a movie that still carries the weight of Roberts’ breakout.
Roberts' 1990 payoff
Pretty Woman gave Roberts the role that helped solidify her as America’s Sweetheart in the early '90s. It also brought her a Best Actress Golden Globe and her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, the kind of awards momentum that can turn a hit into an industry-shaping credit on a résumé.
Ringwald’s comments land differently because her own path had already run through a series of near-misses. She was turned down for the lead in Working Girl in 1988 and for the lead female role in The Silence of the Lambs in 1991, when Jodie Foster landed Clarice Starling. The through line is less about regret than about how quickly a few roles can redirect a career.
Pretty Woman at 35
By the time Pretty Woman reached its 35th anniversary in 2025, the movie had become more than a box-office memory; it was part of the permanent record of Roberts’ rise. Ringwald’s 2023 critique adds friction to that legacy, because it frames the film not just as a career milestone, but as a story that still invites discomfort from another actor who might have inhabited it.
For readers, the useful takeaway is simple: Ringwald did not just pass on a role, she later described the story as uneasy even while praising Roberts’ performance. That leaves Pretty Woman where it has long been in the business conversation — a star-making vehicle for Roberts, and a permanent reminder of how one casting decision can define both the winner and the runner-up.
