This Is Why You Recognize Kit From Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman catapulted Julia Roberts into stardom in the early '90s. Three decades later, the movie is still a favorite girls-night-in staple as a classic My Fair Lady storyline. Roberts and Richard Gere had parts streaming in after the wildfire success of the movie and at least one of the Pretty Woman supporting actors also rode the wave of success. The then 27-year-old Laura San Giacomo became a star in her own right after playing the part of Kit De Luca in the highly profitable flick (per CNBC). San Gicacomo's career was about to take off.
San Giacomo played Vivian Ward's (Julia Roberts) best friend and roommate, Kit. The witty hooker introduced Vivian to prostitution and helped her to find her feet. Kit looked out for her friend and warned her against too-good-to-be-true guys like Edward Lewis (Richard Gere). Who can forget her telling Vivian, "Maybe you guys could, like, you know, get a house together? Like, buy some diamonds and a horse, I don't know."
Fans loved the warm-hearted tough-as-nails Kit and her plethora of witty comebacks. They also marveled at San Giacomo's acting ability as she portrayed the complexities of battling drug addiction and a dealer who beat her while trying to maintain a sense of humor about it. But what happened to San Giacomo after Pretty Woman? Why does her face look so familiar while watching Pretty Woman for the umpteenth time? Keep reading to find out how San Giacomo has kept herself busy.
Laura San Giacomo played Maya on 'Just Shoot Me!'
Laura San Giacomo, who is only 5' 2", has starred in many movies and TV shows throughout the years (per IMBb). The 58-year-old seasoned actress worked consistently, maybe because she has been so focused on her career. In an interview with Ability Magazine, she shared that she knew early on what she wanted to do. "High school. I knew that I wanted to be an actor," she revealed.
San Giacomo's breakthrough role came as Andie Macdowell's sister in Sex, Lies, and Videotape. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role as Cynthia Patrice Bishop, a woman who has an affair with her sister's husband. Many films followed such as Quigley Down Under, Stuart Saves His Family, and Under Suspicion. Similarly, San Giacomo also starred in numerous television productions such as the TV miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand, per The Washington Post. She played Nadine Cross, one of the lead characters in the thriller.
The actress then scored one of her biggest roles to date as Maya Gallo in Just Shoot Me! The NBC sitcom ran for seven seasons, and she was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1999 for her role as the hot-tempered journalist who worked for her father's magazine. Just Shoot Me! also helped further David Spade's career. More recently, San Giacomo also played the part of Rhetta Rodriguez in Saving Grace, Elena Medina in Full Circle, Morgan Wilson in Animal Kingdom, and Dr. Grace Confalone in NCIS.
Laura San Giacomo comes full circle in Sex, Lies and Videotape
Laura San Giacomo's film career is about to come full circle. Last year, director and writer Steven Soderbergh made a startling announcement that created a buzz in Hollywood. More than 30 years after his debut Oscar-nominated flick, Soderbergh is working on a sequel to Sex, Lies, and Videotape.
The announcement created a stir when he also revealed that Andie MacDowell and San Giacomo will return as the two sisters with a very complicated history. The veteran actresses have indicated that they want to be part of the new Soderbergh movie. The director divulged that "one of them has had a child who is about the same age that she was in the original," per Filmmaker Magazine.
San Giacomo has never been just a pretty face. She hasn't shied from hard-hitting roles and has proved that she can have a sense of humor about it. As for Kit de Luca, tell somebody she needs her "Cinder-f***ing-rella" moment, too.