It's been less than 24 hours since news of Garry Marshall's death spread from Hollywood to the rest of the world, and the reactions from those who knew him well or worked with him share a common theme. The filmmaker, who died at the age of 81 on Tuesday, has been praised for his kindness, generosity, loving spirit and for being one of the nicest men in Hollywood.

Laura San Giacomo, who appeared with Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, would agree.

The actress played fellow prostitute Kit de Luca alongside Roberts' Vivian Ward in the Marshall-directed pic. She tells The Hollywood Reporter how sorry she was to hear of his passing, and sends her thoughts to Marshall's wife, Barbara, and to his family, "many of whom were on the set working side by side with him."

San Giacomo recalls her experiences on set and how Marshall encouraged her to improvise scenes in the film, displaying his trust in the young actress, who had already appeared as one of the breakout stars of Sex, Lies and Videotape.

"He radiated warmth - it was like being invited into a family," she tells THR. "I remember him giving me room to fill moments, giving a direction and then shouting rolling, no time to think too much, really demonstrating to me how much trust he had in what I would come up with on the spot. I felt very honored to have his trust. It's amazing to think how many people he touched with his humor, generosity and his heart, always at the center of everything was love."

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