Julia Roberts has shared a surprising revelation about her role in the beloved 1999 romantic comedy, Notting Hill. Despite the film’s success, Roberts admitted that a particular aspect of her character made her feel quite uncomfortable.
In Notting Hill, Roberts played a Hollywood film star who falls in love with a British bookshop owner, portrayed by Hugh Grant. At that time, Roberts was already a major star, known for her roles in Pretty Woman (1990) and My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997).
During an interview with British Vogue, Roberts discussed her experience on Notting Hill with the film’s writer, Richard Curtis. She revealed that playing a movie actress in the film was one of the hardest things she had ever done.
“Honestly, one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was your movie, playing a movie actress. I was so uncomfortable!” Roberts told Curtis. “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.”
Roberts also mentioned that she particularly disliked being dressed as a movie star for the role. For the famous “I’m just a girl” scene, she wore her own clothes instead of a costume. “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.’ And it was my own flip-flops and my cute little blue velvet skirt and a T-shirt and my cardigan… I mean, it was a great scene. But who knew that that would become the line.”
Despite Notting Hill solidifying her status as a rom-com actress, Roberts revealed in 2022 that she hadn’t returned to the genre because she hadn’t found anything “good enough”. She explained that people often misconstrued the gap in time as her not wanting to do romantic comedies, which wasn’t true.
“If I had read something that I thought was Notting Hill-level of writing or My Best Friend’s Wedding-level of madcap fun, I would do it,” she said.
The exception to this trend was 2022’s Ticket to Paradise, in which she starred opposite George Clooney. “They didn’t exist until this movie that I just did that Ol Parker wrote and directed,” she added.
Roberts’ candid reflections offer a new perspective on her experience with Notting Hill, highlighting the challenges she faced despite the film’s enduring popularity.
