Hugh Grant on Why He Thinks His ‘Notting Hill’ Character Is “Despicable” and Doesn’t “Have Any Balls”

Hugh Grant is known to not be the biggest fan of his past movies, but he has specific issues with his character in the 1999 rom-com Notting Hill.

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

“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?’” he 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.”

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

“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?’” Grant added. “And I don’t really have an answer to that — it’s how it was written. And I think he’s despicable, really.”

Having starred in several beloved rom-coms in the ’90s and early 2000s, including Four Weddings and a Funeral, Nine Months, the Bridget Jones films, Two Weeks Notice and Love Actually, Grant likely engenders a particular appreciation among rom-com fans. However, the feeling isn’t necessarily mutual, as the actor doesn’t always have the fondest memories of his past projects.

He told The Mirror in 2014 that he has “pretty much hated any other film I’ve ever been in. But I liked this one,” referring to The Rewrite.

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

“I’ve read that I hate all my films. That’s not true, the films are often great. It’s just me that I loathe,” he said at the time. “I always think, ‘Oh you fucked that up.’ You never feel great about your own stuff. It’s like in the old days of answering machine messages, you always felt nauseated when you heard your own voice. And watching yourself on film is that times 50.”