Hugh Grant on why he thinks his ‘Notting Hill’ character is ‘despicable’

Hugh Grant is known for not being the biggest fan of his previous films, but he has specific issues with his character in the 1999 rom-com Notting Hill.

The actor recently attended Vanity Fairs “Scene Selection”, where he shared why he thinks his character William Thacker is “despicable.” Grant stars opposite Julia Roberts in the film.

“When I’m flipping through the channels at home after a few drinks and this comes on, I’m just like, ‘Why does my character have no balls?'” he said. “There’s a scene in this movie where she’s in my house and paps comes to the front door and rings the bell and I think I just let her walk past me and open the door. It’s horrible.”

The rom-com classic, directed by Roger Michell, sees famous actress Anna Scott (Roberts) fall in love with William, the owner of a bookshop in Notting Hill. But the paparazzi’s fascination with her complicates their relationship.

“I’ve never had a girlfriend, or actually 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 for that — that’s the way it was written. And I think he’s despicable, really.”

After starring in several beloved rom-coms in the 90s and early 2000s, including Four weddings and a funeral, Nine monthsthe Bridget Jones film, Two weeks notice and Love actuallyprobably earns Grant a special appreciation among rom-com fans. However, the feeling is not necessarily mutual, as the actor does not always have the best memories of his previous projects.

He told The mirror in 2014 that he “pretty much hated every other movie I’ve ever been in. But I liked this one,” referring to The paraphrase.

But in 2016, Grant clarified The Hollywood Reporter that he doesn’t actually “hate” all his movies, he just finds it excruciating to see himself on screen.

“I have read that I hate all my films. It’s not true, the movies are often great. It’s just me I hate,” he said at the time. “I always think, ‘Oh, you nailed it.’ You never feel good about your own things. It’s like the old days of answering machine messages, you always felt sick when you heard your own voice. And seeing yourself on film is times 50.”