Julia Roberts almost stayed on this side of the pond before starring in Notting Hill.
In a recent cover interview with the film’s screenwriter Richard Curtis for British Vogue, the Oscar-winning actress admitted she almost turned down the role of Anna Scott in the rom-com because she was “uncomfortable” with the part.
“One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was your movie, playing a movie actress,” she told the writer. “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.”
The actress also revealed she “loathed” her costume in the film because she didn’t like having to dress like a movie star. The morning they shot the film’s iconic “I’m also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her” scene, Roberts sent her driver back to her flat to grab the clothes she wanted to wear for the scene instead of the outfit planned for her.
While she shared that she felt the line was “great” at the time, she didn’t quite expect it to become as popular as it did.
“But who knew that that would become the line,” the Leave the World Behind actress said. “The best thing, besides our friendship, to come out of Notting Hill is [director] Barry Jenkins watching it over someone’s shoulder” on a plane once with no audio, and comments went viral.
“I kind of love watching a film without hearing it,” Roberts continued, “We’re having all these emotions, going through all these things, and you can see it on our faces.”
Notting Hill follows Roberts’ Anna and Hugh Grant’s William Thacker who enter into a full-blown affair after a chance meeting over spilled orange juice that leads to a kiss. But as the two grow closer, they struggle to find a way to reconcile their different lifestyles.
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