‘Notting Hill‘ is one of the most loved movies of our time, and its fans were eagerly looking out for a sequel. However, it never materialized, and according to screenwriter Richard Curtis, Julia Roberts played a key role in that decision.
Curtis recently revealed in an interview with IndieWire that the beloved 1999 rom-com almost had a follow-up, but Roberts wasn’t a fan of the plot. Here’s why she refused to execute the idea of a sequel.
Richard Curtis Reveals Why Julia Roberts Refused To Do A ‘Notting Hill’ Sequel
As revealed by screenwriter Richard Curtis, the suggested sequel of ‘Notting Hill‘ would have featured Julia Roberts’s character, Anna Scott, divorcing Hugh Grant’s William Thacker — a plot line that Roberts believed was “a very poor idea.”
Curtis recalled, “I did one with ‘Notting Hill‘ where they were going to get divorced, and Julia thought that was a very poor idea.” The screenwriter is also known for some of his other popular works including romantic comedies such as ‘Love Actually‘ and ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral‘.
Curtis revealed that he was already content with his reunion efforts, with the mini-sequels to ‘Love Actually‘ for comic relief. When asked if he planned on creating any more of those, he responded, “I don’t think so. I actually did four Red Nose Days and Comic Relief. We did those mini sequels to Love Actually, and those satisfied me.”
Hugh Grant Is Not A Huge Fan Of ‘Notting Hill’
The original ‘Notting Hill‘, one of the fan-favorite rom-coms, is a story about a chance romance between a famous actress and a humble London bookstore owner. It tests their love against the media frenzy of Anna’s fame.
Interestingly, even Hugh Grant, who played William in the film, recently admitted frustration with his character. During Vanity Fair‘s ‘Scene Selection‘ series, Grant called his performance of William “despicable” and questioned his character’s lack of assertiveness at key moments.
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Speaking about a scene in which he lets Anna leave after the paparazzi arrive at his door, Grant said, “Whenever I’m flicking the channels at home after a few drinks and this comes up, I just think, ‘Why doesn’t my character have any balls?'”
Though Grant seems to be his own kind of critique on ‘Notting Hill‘, this rejection of a sequel did save the story from falling into unromantic desolation. Perhaps that saved the spark for the original that made us enjoy this lovely love story as an end in one chapter for its fans – for now at least.
