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Romcom purists have a lot to thank Julia Roberts for, as not only did the actress basically carry the genre through its golden era, she has single-handedly saved one of the most treasured romantic classics by shutting down any chance of a Notting Hill sequel.
Screenwriter and director, Richard Curtis, revealed to IndieWire that he had tried to get a Notting Hill sequel in the works, but his hopes were dashed when actress Roberts shut it down.
Promoting his upcoming Netflix Christmas movie, Curtis said that he had wanted to explore a similar style “mini sequel” as the Love Actually special he’d previously produced, only with a slightly more sombre storyline.
“I tried doing one with ‘Notting Hill’ where they were going to get divorced and Julia [Roberts] thought that was a very poor idea.”
A very poor idea, indeed, Julia!
While Roberts – thankfully – shut down all avenues that could’ve led to an alternate universe where Will and Anna don’t have a happily ever after, if it had been up to co-star Hugh Grant, we might have had a different ending all together.
In a 2020 interview with HBO, Grant had expressed his willingness to sign onto a Notting Hill sequel, but with a slight caveat.
“I would like to do a sequel to one of my own romantic comedies that shows what happened after those films ended,” he said.
“Really, to prove the terrible lie that they all were, that it was a happy ending.”
In Grant’s new proposed sequel, the narrative wouldn’t simply continue from where we left the new parents. Probably in a loving family unit, raising their child who’d most likely developed a transatlantic accent early on in life and spent most of his tween years travelling between Hollywood and England on private jets, or grumpily expressing his dismay at being left behind while boarding at Eton.
No, he couldn’t just let love be.
Instead, he had to suggest a more “realistic” state of affairs, where the love story wouldn’t just end there.
“I’d like to do me and Julia, and the hideous divorce that’s ensued with really expensive lawyers, children involved in a tug of love, floods of tears. Psychologically scarred forever,” he mused.
“I’d love to do that film.”
Well, that’s good for you Hugh, but not for us – the romantics of this world – who prefer our happy endings to stay that way.
If we’re denied our silly little fantasy worlds where meet-cutes and missed flights allow us to keep love alive, then what else is left, Hugh!?
Romcoms don’t need to be based in reality. In fact, they simply shouldn’t be – that’s the beauty of them.
They need to be allowed to exist outside fact, or hard truths and heartbreak, so as to allow for limerence, lust, and a little bit of smooth brain action to distract from regular programming.
So, thank you Julia Roberts, from all of us.
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