Jason Alexander was ‘punched many times’ and ‘spat on’ by strangers after starring in Pretty Woman
Actor reveals extent of abuse he received following release of romantic comedy
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jason Alexander has said he was “punched” by strangers due to his role in Pretty Woman.
The actor, 61, appeared in the 1990 romantic comedy as Philip Stuckey, a misogynistic lawyer who attempts to rape Julia Roberts’ lead character.
Alexander, best known for playing George Costanza in US sitcom Seinfeld, said that his character was so awful that he was “hated” by the public for a while after.
“I was known around the world as the a**hole who tried to rape Julia Roberts so women hated me,” he told Robin Bronk on the At Home With The Creative Coalition podcast.
“I would walk down the street and women would say mean things to me.”
Alexander said he was “punched many times” and even “got spit on by one woman”.
He described the year following the hit comedy's release as “rough”. It grossed a huge $463.4m (£358m) at the global box office.
Interestingly, Alexander almost never succeeded in securing the role as director Garry Marshall thought he was “too baby-faced and little”.
“There were other people he tried to get and I don't know why but they couldn't make a deal,” he said. “I got the part because they couldn't make a deal with the actor they wanted and they were desperate.”
Pretty Woman, which also stars Richard Gere, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments