‘Notting Hill’ Writer Richard Curtis Reveals Why Julia Roberts Turned Down Sequel

A Notting Hill sequel never made it to the big screen due, in part, to Julia Roberts, according to screenwriter Richard Curtis.

The writer for the beloved 1999 rom-com recently told IndieWire while promoting his new Netflix animated film, That Christmas, that Roberts wasn’t a big fan of the sequel script, which saw her character Anna Scott divorcing Hugh Grant‘s character William Thacker.

When Curtis was asked if he would like to do any follow-ups to his past films, he said, “I don’t think so. I actually did four Red Nose Days and Comic Relief. We did those mini sequels to Love Actually, and those satisfied me.” The screenwriter previously reunited the Love Actually cast for a short film that benefits the annual charity event.

Curtis added, “I tried doing one with Notting Hill where they were going to get divorced, and Julia [Roberts] thought that was a very poor idea.”

Notting Hill follows famous actress Anna Scott, who falls in love with William Thacker, owner of a bookstore in the London neighborhood. However, the paparazzi’s fascination with her complicates their relationship.

The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Roberts’ rep for comment.

Earlier this month, Grant also looked back at the 1999 film while partaking in Vanity Fair’s “Scene Selection,” where he admitted that he thinks his character William Thacker is “despicable.”

“Whenever I’m flicking the channels at home after a few drinks and this comes up, I just think, ‘Why doesn’t my character have any balls?’” he said at the time. “There’s a scene in this film where she’s in my house and the paps come to the front door and ring the bell and I think I just let her go past me and open the door. That’s awful.”

“I’ve never had a girlfriend, or indeed now wife, who hasn’t said, ‘Why the hell didn’t you stop her? What’s wrong with you?’” Grant added. “And I don’t really have an answer to that — it’s how it was written. And I think he’s despicable, really.”