No happy ending Julia Roberts rejected dark "Notting Hill" sequel
The screenwriter and director of "Notting Hill" reveals that he had planned a less romantic sequel to the classic film. However, Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant were not enthusiastic about it.
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- Richard Curtis wanted to make a short film sequel to "Notting Hill" in which the main characters get divorced - but Julia Roberts turned it down.
- Hugh Grant, on the other hand, found the idea of a dramatic divorce appealing and was open to a darker version of the sequel.
- Hugh Grant doesn't have a good word to say about his role and criticizes his character William Thacker's lack of backbone.
The romantic comedy "Notting Hill" has been one of the classics of the genre since 1999. The movie ended with a touching happy ending, a wedding and the news of a baby - just as a romantic comedy should.
According to Richard Curtis, the film's screenwriter and director, there was almost a different twist.
In an interview with "IndieWire ", the 68-year-old revealed that he had planned a sequel in the form of a short film, similar to what he had already done for other films of his, such as "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Love Actually...".
These mini-sequels were produced as part of a charity event and were extremely popular with fans. However, the plans for a sequel to "Notting Hill" were not met with enthusiasm by everyone involved.
Hugh Grant would find it "great" to play the divorce
Curtis' idea for the sequel? Anna Scott and William Thacker get divorced. A completely unromantic approach that met with little approval from Julia Roberts.
"Julia thought it was a very bad idea," Curtis revealed in an interview, confirming that a continuation of the story will probably never happen.
Hugh Grant, on the other hand, had a different view of the planned sequel. Back in 2020, he had already commented on the idea of a messy, expensive divorce and found it appealing to portray the darker side of a relationship falling apart.
"It would be great if Julia and I could play the horrible divorce. With expensive lawyers, children torn between the parents, lots of tears. All emotionally scarred, forever. I would love to do that movie."
Grant: "Why doesn't my character have balls?"
But even without a sequel, the actor is still preoccupied with his role as William Thacker. In a recent interview with "Vanity Fair", he opened up about his character's weaknesses.
Hugh Grant's view of William Thacker is anything but positive: "I think he's really despicable."
One particular scene in particular annoys him: In it, Anna, the Hollywood actress played by Julia Roberts, is in his house when suddenly paparazzi ring the doorbell. "I just let them walk past me and open the door. It's awful," says Grant.
"Whenever I'm sitting at home flicking through the channels after a few drinks and the movie is on, I just think, why doesn't my character have any balls?" The actor says that he hasn't had any (married) partners who wouldn't have criticized this scene.
Grant finds Robert's acting "brilliant"
Hugh Grant also spoke about his film partner Julia Roberts and showed great admiration for her acting.
"She was brilliant," he said, recalling how he often felt inferior during filming, believing he could never match her performance. "She has this kind of quality where it looks like her skin is gossamer. You can sort of see her soul."
There will probably never be a sequel to "Notting Hill". For fans, the film remains what it is: one of the most popular romantic comedies of the 90s.