More than 25 years after ‘Notting Hill‘ became a romantic comedy classic, Hugh Grant has surprisingly turned against one of the film’s most memorable characters.
The actor recently admitted that there is one reason he can no longer defend the role, and his blunt remarks have left fans looking at the beloved movie in a very different way.
The One ‘Notting Hill’ Scene Hugh Grant Still Can’t Accept
During an interview with Vanity Fair, Hugh Grant admitted that he still gets frustrated whenever ‘Notting Hill‘ comes on television. Recalling, he said one scene always makes him wonder why his character failed to take charge.
Related: Is ‘Notting Hill’ Based On A True Story?
“Whenever I’m flicking through the channels at home after a few drinks, and this comes up, I just think, Why doesn’t my character have any balls?“, Grant said. “There’s a scene in this film where she’s in my house, and the paps come to the front door and ring the bell. And I think I just let her go past me and open the door. That’s awful.”
The moment Grant referred to comes after movie star Anna Scott reunites with William following a difficult breakup. As paparazzi gather outside William’s home, Anna walks to the front door herself while William does nothing to stop her. Grant said people close to him have never understood that decision either.
“I’ve never had a girlfriend, or indeed now wife, who hasn’t said, ‘Why the hell didn’t you stop her? What’s wrong with you?’” he said. “And I don’t really have an answer to that — it’s how it was written. And I think he’s despicable, really.”
The Actor Has Long Been Critical Of Romantic Comedy Endings
Although ‘Notting Hill‘ remains one of Hugh Grant’s best-known films, the actor has spent years criticizing both the movie and the romantic comedy genre. After finding success with films such as ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral‘, ‘Nine Months‘, ‘Bridget Jones‘, ‘Two Weeks’ Notice‘, and ‘Love Actually‘, he gradually stepped away from romantic comedies. In fact, his last traditional rom-com was 2014’s ‘The Rewrite‘.
In case you missed it: Hugh Grant Claimed Kissing Julia Roberts in ‘Notting Hill’ Had a “Faint Echo”
Grant has repeatedly argued that the happy endings shown in romantic comedies are unrealistic. Speaking to Collider in 2020, he said he was “sure” that all his past rom-com relationships would by now be “all disasters. Those films were all lies.” Referring to ‘Notting Hill‘, he added, “I’m sure that my character in Notting Hill and Julia Roberts’ character have been through the ugliest imaginable divorce with really expensive, nasty lawyers.”
The actor’s opinion has not changed over the years. Grant previously described the ending of ‘Notting Hill‘ as “nauseating“. He once said that “the whole idea of a man and a woman belonging together” is a “big fat lie.” When asked whether he would ever return to romantic comedies, he joked that he’d only do so to show what happened after the happy ending.
“I‘d like to do a sequel to one of my own romcoms that shows what happened after those films ended. It’s to prove the terrible lie that they all were. That it was a happy ending,” Grant said. He even imagined what happened to William and Anna after the film. The actor added, “I’d like to do me and Julia and the hideous divorce that’s ensued with really expensive lawyers. There’ll be children involved in [a] tug of love, floods of tears. Psychologically scarred forever.”
You might also like to read: “A Very Poor Idea”: Why Julia Roberts Turned Down A ‘Notting Hill’ Sequel
