Julia Roberts Turned Down a ‘Notting Hill’ Reunion Due to a Divorce Plot, Says Writer Richard Curtis

Exclusive: "Julia thought that was a very poor idea," Curtis said of where he wanted to take Roberts and Hugh Grant's storyline in a potential short film for charity.

“Notting Hill” screenwriter Richard Curtis is detailing why there hasn’t been a sequel: And it turns out Julia Roberts part of the reason why.

Curtis told IndieWire while promoting his upcoming Netflix animated film “That Christmas,” which premieres December 4, that he wanted to do a “mini sequel” to the beloved 1999 rom-com as part of Red Nose Day. However, Roberts had issues with the script idea, which involved her A-list actress character Anna Scott divorcing bookstore owner William Thacker, played by Curtis’ longtime collaborator Hugh Grant.

Curtis previously has reunited the cast of his feature “Love Actually” for short film follow-ups that benefit the annual charity event.

When asked if Curtis would want to revisit any of his past films in a formal feature sequel form, 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.”

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

IndieWire has reached out to Roberts’ representatives for comment.

Grant also recently said during Vanity Fair’s “Scene Selection” series that he thinks his “Notting Hill” character 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?’” Grant said. “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?’ And I don’t really have an answer to that — it’s how it was written. And I think he’s despicable, really.”

And it seems like a “Notting Hill” sequel that was not the “Hill” even Curtis was willing to die on: Instead, the writer/director is trying to focus on taking on new challenges.

“I think oddly enough I’m keen at this stage in my career of doing new things as much as I can,” Curtis told IndieWire. “That’s why it was great doing an animated film. I’ve made, I think, 17 films. It’s quite hard for the 18th to be as different as this one is.”

Curtis also made his music video debut with Ed Sheeran’s “Under the Tree.” The song will be featured in Curtis’ “That Christmas,” which he wrote based on his children’s book series. Curtis explained how “Under the Tree” is his version of “500 Days of Summer,” which is his “favorite romantic film of the century.”

And could Curtis make an action film ever? He isn’t opposed to throwing his directorial hat in the ring for the Bond franchise.

“I know I wouldn’t be asked,” Curtis said, adding, “I have this joke with Paul Greengrass. Whenever he finishes a movie, I say, ‘Do you want me to do a rom-com pass on the next Bond film? A little bit more kissing, a little bit more family stuff.’ Maybe I could bring true love to the Bond franchise, but I don’t think I’ll be asked.”

In the meantime, Curtis is celebrating the resurgence and lasting impact of rom-coms, citing both series “Colin From Accounts” and “Nobody Wants This” for being “pretty lovely” genre additions.

“People always say, ‘Oh, this genre is dying,’ or ‘Oh, this genre is reviving.’ It just pops up,” Curtis said. “I think romantic things, they come in and out in different guises, but they will probably always be there.”