Richard Curtis, the screenwriter behind the beloved 1999 romantic comedy "Notting Hill," recently revealed that Julia Roberts rejected his idea for a potential sequel due to its controversial plot direction.
In a recent interview with IndieWire, Curtis shared that he had developed a concept for a follow-up film that would have shown Roberts' character Anna Scott and Hugh Grant's William Thacker going through a divorce. However, Roberts was not enthusiastic about this storyline direction, with Curtis noting that she "thought that was a very poor idea."
While Roberts wasn't keen on the divorce plot, interestingly, her co-star Hugh Grant has expressed support for such a direction. In 2020, Grant stated he believed the characters would have gone through "the ugliest imaginable divorce with really expensive, nasty lawyers." He even suggested he would be interested in filming a sequel depicting a "hideous divorce" involving custody battles and emotional trauma.
The original "Notting Hill" told the story of Anna Scott, a Hollywood actress who falls in love with William Thacker, a London bookstore owner, though their relationship faces challenges due to constant media attention.
Curtis, who was speaking while promoting his new Netflix animated film "That Christmas," appears to have moved on from the idea of revisiting "Notting Hill." He mentioned being satisfied with creating mini-sequels for other projects, such as the "Love Actually" reunion for Red Nose Day in 2017.
The revelation comes as both stars have recently shared other insights about the original film. Roberts previously admitted she almost didn't take the role, finding it "awkward" to play a movie star, while Grant has been critical of his character, describing William Thacker as "despicable" for lacking assertiveness in certain scenes.
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