Al Pacino Talks About Turning Down 'Pretty Woman' Role

Al Pacino passed on Pretty Woman even though he knew the film would be a big hit and Julia Roberts a massive star. The actor reveals he was director Gary Marshall's first choice to play opposite Roberts in the film - and he even read with the movie's star before passing on the project and allowing Richard Gere to take his place.

Speaking exclusively on CNN show Larry King Live, Pacino recalls, "I could tell Julia Roberts was a great actress... You could just see it. It was just so obvious. She had never done anything. I even said to Gary Marshall, 'This girl, where did you find her?'"

But Pacino felt sure the film wasn't for him after listening back to his reading with Roberts and realizing he was the wrong guy to woo her hooker character.

The adds, "There's a lot of reasons you don't do a movie... Sometimes it's geography, sometimes it's family, sometimes it's just not the right role for you and you don't feel you belong in that part."