Hugh Grant surprises by explaining why he finds his role in ‘Notting Hill’ “despicable”: “It’s horrible”

Indispensable figure of the romcoms from the 90s and 2000s, Hugh Grant He gave us great roles in films like Four weddings and a funeral, Love Actually, You the lyrics, I the music, Love with notice either Bridget Jones’ Diary.

Among his most iconic characters is that of Will Thacker in Notting Hill (Roger Michell, 1999), the mild-mannered bookstore owner whose life was turned upside down when he fell in love with movie star Anna Scott (Julia Roberts). A role that the British actor has now not hesitated to take on.

In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Grant has confessed that his character in Notting Hill was “despicable”. “Whenever I change the channel at home after having a few drinks and I see the movie, I think: ‘Why doesn’t my character have eggs?“says the interpreter. “There is a scene in which she is at my house and the paparazzi come to the door, ring the doorbell, I let her in and she opens the door. It’s horrible“he adds.

So, Grant addresses Will’s handling of fame by avoiding the role that the paparazzi have in his life and that, in reality, the actor himself lived in his own flesh after numerous scandals.

“I’ve never had a girlfriend, or indeed now my wife, who hasn’t said to me: ‘Why the hell didn’t you stop her? What’s the matter?’. And the truth is that I have no answer. That’s how it was written. And I think he’s despicable, really,” she confesses.

Grant also took the opportunity to talk about the pressure he felt before a “brilliant actress” like Julia Roberts and the feeling of not reaching his height. A co-star whom he does not hesitate to describe as “excellent with emotions”explaining the great quality he has by giving the depths of his soul to his characters.

Grant has decided to leave that stage in the romantic comedy behind, as he recently confessed, joining more extreme roles, such as the horror title Heretic. Distributed by A24 In the United States, the film is receiving numerous praise, especially the performance of the British actor, who many place as a candidate for the 2025 Oscars.