Played by Julia Roberts, Vivian Ward is one of Hollywood’s most unforgettable heroines. Beginning her story as a sex worker on Hollywood Boulevard, Vivian meets businessman Edward, who encourages her to seek out other opportunities after engaging in a business deal with her.
Vivian undergoes a major character transformation, puts several snobbish and judgmental figures from his world in their place, and even teaches Edward a few things. All the while, she makes audiences laugh and understand her point of view. Keep reading to revisit iconic lines from Pretty Woman’s Vivian Ward that are impossible to forget.
Updated by Amanda Bruce on October 31, 2021: Though Pretty Woman has some darker aspects to it, the movie remains a beloved romantic comedy today. With two characters from vastly different worlds, a happy ending, and plenty of chemistry between Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, it's no wonder romance fans love it. Vivian's earnestness is part of what makes the character so great. Even when she's got a false sense of bravado, the audience can see the woman underneath. That's why so many of her lines are so memorable.
"You Know, You Could Pay Me. That's One Way To, Maybe, Break The Ice."
When Edward and Vivian first make their arrangement, it's clear that things are a little awkward for him, but that for her, it's all business. The reality of her line of work is that sometimes, her clients skip out on paying her. Vivian is clearly well aware of that fact when the duo get to Edward's hotel room and cheekily offers up this line to diffuse the awkward tension.
The line does the job, but it also clues the audience in to just how risky her line of work can be.
"The Bad Things Are Easier To Believe. You Ever Noticed That?"
This might not be as memorable as some of the more famous quotes from Pretty Woman, but it's not less impactful. Vivian makes a good point with this line.
Sure, the movie might be a romantic comedy that glosses over some of the harder aspects of Vivian's life, but the movie certainly doesn't gloss over other people's judgment of her. It's always easier for someone to believe the bad in a stranger than the good, and Vivian sees that on a regular basis. Though she's certainly charming and intelligent, most of the people she initially interacts with in the movie don't see that until she presents herself in the style they don't judge.
“I Can Do Anything I Want To, Baby. I Ain’t Lost.”
Vivian drops this line on Edward when she first meets him on Hollywood Boulevard. He claims that it’s unfair she’s trying to charge him for directions, but she simply points out that she can do anything she wants to because “I ain’t lost.” Julia Roberts, in one of her most likable roles, delivers the words perfectly!
This line is so powerful because it reveals Vivian’s bold character and lets the audience know that Edward might have met his match. In the end, he does pay her for the directions, which leads to their business deal.
“I Would Have Stayed For Two Thousand.”
When Vivian first meets Edward, her guard is understandably up. His feelings are of no consequence to her and her primary concern is her money. But she lets it slip that she does still have a soft spot for him by telling him that she would have stayed for two thousand after they agree on three thousand.
In what might be the perfect response, Edward tells Vivian that he would have paid four thousand. It's a nice look at their connection to one another in a simple exchange.
“Don’t You Just Love Prince?”
This is one of the Pretty Woman quotes that doesn’t have a lot of impact on its own, but in context, it’s one of the funniest in the film. After spending one night with Edward, Vivian “takes a swim” in the hotel bathtub. When Edward walks in to propose his deal to her, he finds her singing to Prince while covered in bubbles.
Because Vivian continues singing without knowing that she’s being watched, this is one of the times when we get to see her strong character being totally vulnerable. She feels so awkward when she realizes he’s listening to her that she tries to make this joke about Prince.
“Slippery Little Suckers.”
“Slippery little suckers,” has to be one of the most famous lines from Pretty Woman. Vivian says this in the fancy French restaurant when she accompanies Edward to his business meeting with James Morse and his grandson. She tries so hard to fit in but while trying to eat the escargot, she ends up flinging one right off her plate.
This is one of the funniest moments in the movie because it perfectly symbolizes how uncomfortable Vivian is in Edward’s world, but also how she’s willing to adapt.
“Well Color Me Happy, There’s A Sofa In Here For Two.”
Some of Vivian’s dialogue clearly shows how unrefined and transparent she is compared to Edward and the people in his world. What most fans love the most about Vivian is the way she deliberately antagonizes people who judge her or stare at her.
When she notices two snobbish people looking at her when she first arrives in the hotel, she cries this line out loudly to purposefully make them more uncomfortable. It's fun for the audience to see Vivian put people in their place with just a line.
“People Put You Down Enough You Start To Believe It.”
Pretty Woman blesses viewers with many funny moments, but there are also a handful of sentimental moments in there too. One of the most memorable sentimental lines comes when Edward and Vivian are having a deep and meaningful conversation in bed.
As Edward tries to encourage her to rise to her potential, she gives him one of the saddest lines from Pretty Woman, “People put you down enough you start to believe it.” This sad but true line resonates with a lot of the movie’s fans.
“In Case I Forget To Tell You Later, I Had A Really Good Time Tonight.”
The growing relationship between Edward and Vivian is what makes the film so captivating for so many fans. This line that Vivian says to Edward captures the bond between them and how their relationship is slowly advancing beyond the point of a mere business deal.
From the beginning, Edward and Vivian have a chemistry that is obvious through lines like this. Both care about each other more than they should until they can no longer deny their feelings.
“It Was So Good, I Almost Peed My Pants!”
Seeing Vivian out of place in Edward’s world never ceases to be entertaining. The scene at the opera is sentimental because the audience gets to see a much softer side to Vivian. But at the same time, there is that hint of comedy in there when Vivian exclaims to the elderly patron, “It was so good, I almost peed my pants!”
Luckily, Edward covers for her by quipping, “She said she liked it better than Pirates of Penzance.” It's certainly one of many Pretty Woman quotes that leaves the audience laughing.
