Hugh Grant Says His "Notting Hill" Role Was 'Despicable': 'Why Doesn't My Character Have Any Balls?'

11/17/2024 11:35 AM

The actor also praised his costar in the movie, Julia Roberts, as 'great at emoting'

Hugh Grant has some harsh words for his character in Notting Hill. 

The actor, 64, took a trip down memory lane with Vanity Fair in a video interview, published on Nov. 14, that saw him watching scenes from previous movies. While doing so, he looked back on his role in the 1999 romantic comedy and said his character William "Will" Thacker was "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?' " Grant said in the interview, before taking issue with a particular scene that involved Will and his love interest, Julia Roberts' character Anna Scott, a movie star. 

"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, and that's awful," he continued.

"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?'

He added of his character, "And I don't really have an answer to that. It was how it was written and I think he's despicable, really."

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

In the interview, Grant also praised his costar Roberts' acting skills.

Related: The Cast of Notting Hill: Where Are They Now?

"Probably all the time with Julia, as with any brilliant actress, you're just thinking, 'Oh, Christ, they're really good. I'm not going to be as good as her,' " he said.

"And she is great at emoting, and she's got that kind of quality where it looks like her skin is wafer thin. You can sort of see her soul," he added.

Written by Richard Curtis — who later reunited with Grant in 2001's Bridget Jones's Diary and 2003's Love Actually — and directed by the late Roger Michell, the movie follows the romance between a London bookstore owner and a famous American actress, respectively played by Grant and Roberts.

The movie was nominated for three awards at the 2000 Golden Globes, including individual nods for the two lead actors. 

Related: Notting Hill Turns 25! Why Julia Roberts Almost Passed on the Movie (and More Surprising Facts)

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Grant opened up to PEOPLE in an exclusive interview in October, ahead of the release of his A24 horror movie Heretic, in which he plays a reclusive Englishman who threatens the lives of two missionaries when they visit his home. 

"Good guys are difficult," the actor told PEOPLE at the film's AFI Fest premiere presented by Canva on Oct. 24. "They're difficult to keep from being boring… I think almost any actor prefers being the damaged, bad guy. It's much more interesting."