Notting Hill writer Richard Curtis has revealed that Julia Roberts refused to take part in a sequel to the 1999 beloved rom-com because her character was supposed to get divorced.
The Four Weddings and a Funeral filmmaker, 68, shared that he initially proposed a storyline where her character, Anna Scott and Hugh Grant’s character, William Thacker were separated, but Roberts was not keen on the idea.
‘I tried doing one with Notting Hill where they were going to get divorced,’ Richard said.
‘Julia [Roberts] thought that was a very poor idea.’
When asked about revisiting any of his previous films, the About Time director said he was satisfied with his work on Red Nose Day and Comic Relief, where he wrote mini-sequels to Love Actually.
Notting Hill writer Richard Curtis has revealed that Julia Roberts refused to take part in a sequel to the 1999 beloved rom-com because her character was supposed to get divorced
The actress said she was initially reluctant to accept the part because she felt ‘uncomfortable’ playing the hot-tempered American movie star Anna Scott
‘I don’t think so,’ he told IndieWire. ‘We did those mini-sequels to Love Actually, and those satisfied me.’
The revelation follows the Pretty Woman star’s admission that she was initially uncomfortable with the role of Anna Scott, almost turning it down entirely.
Earlier this year, the Eat, Pray, Love actress shared her initial reluctance to take on the iconic role in Notting Hill, admitting that she almost turned down the part due to discomfort with playing a famous movie star.
The Oscar winner, 57, told Vogue that she struggled with the character, who is a hot-tempered Hollywood actress.
Speaking to Curtis, for Vogue’s February issue, Julia said: ‘Honestly, one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was [Notting Hill], playing a movie actress. I was so uncomfortable!
‘I mean, we’ve talked about this so many times, but I almost didn’t take the part because it just seemed—oh, it just seemed so awkward. I didn’t even know how to play that person.’
Her discomfort with the character went beyond the acting, as Roberts also had issues with her costume.
She said that she ‘loathed’ being dressed as a glamorous movie star and even took matters into her own hands for one key scene.
The writer behind the beloved 1999 rom-com explained that Roberts was not fond of the initial sequel script, which involved her character divorcing Hugh Grant’s character, William Thacker
Julia Roberts revealed that she even asked her driver to go back to her flat and pick out an outfit from her own wardrobe for her to wear in the iconic ‘I’m Just A Girl’ scene (pictured)
In the iconic moment where Anna rushes back to William and confesses, ‘I’m just a girl,’ the mother-of-three wore her own clothes instead of the movie’s wardrobe.
‘My driver, lovely Tommy, I sent him back to my flat that morning,’ she recalled.
‘I said, ‘Go into my bedroom and grab this, this, and this out of my closet.’ It was my own flip-flops, my cute little blue velvet skirt, a T-shirt, and my cardigan.’
Despite these initial struggles, both Roberts and her co-star Hugh Grant received Golden Globe nominations for their performances.
Nicole Kidman, who was also eager to take on the role of Anna Scott, admitted in 2021 that she was devastated to lose out to Roberts.
‘I really wanted the role that Julia Roberts played in Notting Hill,’ Kidman revealed in an interview with Marie Claire.
‘But I wasn’t well known enough, and I wasn’t talented enough.’
