“Behind the Scenes Drama: Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts’ Explosive Clash on the Set of Notting Hill!”
Grant reportedly made a complaint early on (perhaps in jest) that Roberts’ voice was considerably deeper than his own – which, according to Richard Curtis, was because “When [Grant]âs nervous, his voice goes up an octave.â Roberts herself insisted that she too felt “intimidated” working with Grant, as well as feeling like an outsider as the only American on the British production (a cameo from Alec Baldwin notwithstanding).
Roberts had issues with the script throughout production. She took particular umbrage with the Rita Hayworth quote, ‘They go to bed with Gilda, they wake up with me;’ âI hate to say anything negative about what Richard wrote, because heâs a genius, but I hated saying that line. To me, it was nails on a chalkboard. I donât really believe any of that.â
Media interest in both actors sometimes caused issues whilst filming on location in London: the actor reflects, âIt was surreal. We were shooting scenes in Notting Hill, where we had a hundred extras playing paparazzi, and then we had a hundred [real] paparazzi paparazzi-ing the paparazzi.â
When Notting Hill was released, things appeared rosy enough between the actors. It wasn’t until five years later, when Hugh Grant was asked about working with Roberts by Oprah Winfrey, that he indicated they hadn’t been the best of friends. Asked to describe Roberts in a single word, Grant responded, “nasty,” before immediately correcting himself.
