Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant are now forever linked to one of the most loved romantic comedies ever made, Notting Hill. But before saying yes, Roberts almost turned the movie down because she thought the idea sounded ridiculous.
Julia Roberts reveals her initial thoughts on the idea of Notting Hill
Julia Roberts was not very interested in the idea of Notting Hill. In a recent conversation with Deadline, she stated, “Gosh, I just remember when my agent called me about Notting Hill and I thought, ‘Well, that sounds like the dumbest idea of any movie I could ever do.'”
Roberts recalled thinking the story made no sense, “I’m going to play the world’s biggest movie star and I do what? And then what happens? This sounds so f—— stupid.” However, everything changed once she read the script.
“And then I read the script, and I was like, ‘Oh. This is so charming. It’s so funny. Oh, s—.’ And then I went to lunch with Richard [Curtis] and [producer] Duncan [Kenworthy] and beloved Roger Michell, may he rest in peace,” the actress shared.
Roberts later met with the filmmakers, planning to turn the role down. Instead, their warmth and enthusiasm convinced her to say yes. “And I thought, ‘Wow, this is really going to happen.’ And we had a beautiful time doing it. It was cast to perfection [by Mary Selway], all the friends, everybody.”
“It was so great. And we had a beautiful time. And I think Roger, he just created the film in a way that it just, at every turn, it succeeded. It accomplished its goals with every… Alec Baldwin! That’s brilliant casting.”
Although Roberts initially felt uncomfortable playing a fictional version of a movie star, Anna Scott, in Notting Hill, the film ended up becoming one of her most beloved flicks and a fan favorite.
Originally reported by Ojas Kulkarni on ComingSoon.
