'I was aware of a faint echo': Hugh Grant on why he 'didn't like' kissing Julia Roberts in 'Notting Hill'

2023/08/07

Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts worked together on Roger Michell's 1999 romantic comedy 'Notting Hill,' which went on to become one of the most successful British movies of all time. The pair's on-screen connection was well accepted by the audience, and the movie ultimately became a huge hit, but their relationship off-screen wasn't equally compelling.

On one level, the popular movie is frequently regarded as a love story, an enjoyable comedy, and a heartwarming film that left viewers clamoring for more. Grant jokingly stated that he wants to direct a sequel in which his and Roberts' characters, William and Anna, go through an atrocious divorce, as per The Things.

'She might hate me by now'

Grant, who portrayed the endearing William in the movie, didn't exactly get along with the 'Pretty Woman' star. Roberts felt the same way, particularly after the former had made way too many jokes about her lack of or inability to kiss.

In a 2015 episode of 'Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,' when Grant was asked if he was still in touch with his 'Notting Hill' co-star, he conceded that he had probably made "too many jokes about the size of her mouth" for Roberts to continue to want to be in touch. "I've probably made too many jokes about the size of her mouth.

She might hate me by now," said Grant at the time.

'Very big-mouthed!'

Although William and Anna were adored on-screen, it seems as though Grant and Roberts didn't get along well off-screen. In 'Notting Hill,' they had several kissing scenes but they weren't all enjoyable for Grant. He spoke about one conflict he had with Roberts in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. "Very big-mouthed! Literally, physically, she has a very big mouth. When I was kissing her I was aware of a faint echo," he said, per MSN.

Roberts was described as "one of the nicest people" by Oprah Winfrey, but Grant claimed he "wouldn't go that far." By 2005, Roberts apparently indicated she would work with him again after forgiving him for his earlier comments about her, per The Things. However, she is unlikely to accept Grant's 'Notting Hill' sequel suggestion.