Things get even funnier when Anna moves into Williams turf. It's a question that viewers may have had themselves while watching, as Anna and William's story feels piercingly real.

Instead, he talks about what a rough life acting must be, how the wages are a scandal, and how he had done a bit of acting himself back in his university days.

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you. All in all, rom-com fans would definitely agree that "Notting Hill" is up there with the best of the genre whether or not it's based on a real-life romance. 0 subscriptions will be displayed on your profile (edit). She often talks about how I need to take her along everywhere because otherwise I walk around like Mr. Magoo and miss everything. We only sell travel books., Right, the guy says. Friday night, I was back in New York, and I went to see my friend Alex Edelmans off-Broadway show Just For Us. Its a fantastic, hilarious, deeply personal show, so wonderful, and I strongly recommend that all of you in the New York area go see it immediately. And they used to meet up, whenever she came to London their affair would reactivate itselfand that was the genesis of his script. And only then did I realize that he was my optometrist. We talk for a little longer about what a terrific and interesting guy Alex is, and she mentions something else about how she was at the SAG Awards because of the show, and Im still nodding and completely not picking up on any of this.

Although theres enough electricity between them to make their hair stand on end, she leaves. And its not like Justine thats the actress name is one of those people who looks different in real life. Thats a novel, too, isnt it?, Right, the guy says. Free and paid versions are available. Like, and I believe I told this story before, I was at Bruce Springsteens Broadway show a few years ago when a man came up to me and started talking. Oh, wow, I love Succession, I say, but I continue to look at her blankly, and she looks at me with a kind but odd expression and says, I play Willa on the show..

I am not exaggerating that gene that allows others to recognize people, whatever that is, I just dont have it. Please. But, like I say, Justine is just one of those people who radiates warmth. It's a beloved film that sparks emotion and feels genuine despite its unlikely premise. As mentioned before, screenwriter Richard Curtis has never publicly acknowledged that "Notting Hill" is based on what happened to his friend. Even as the show went on and Alex was typically awesome I could not help but think about two things: One, how much I was looking forward to telling my wife and Succession binge-watching partner Margo about how I sat next to Willa and totally did not recognize her. And I thought about who the Yankees were playing. And finally I said, like a Bernie, Im sorry, but what show are you talking about?. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. I genuinely believe, and I've believed for some time now, that we could be best friends. Your customer!, This is one of my familys favorite scenes in any movie ever, and we never once pass a John Grisham book without saying to each other, How about the latest John Grisham thriller?. The hotel scene is a gem. And I scanned my mind for what sports were going in town. I am simply not a visual person, and so I end up trying to figure out who Im talking with through context. McKees sharp, touching performance stands in contrast to the more obvious hilarity offered by Hugh Bonneville as Bernie (a financial type who is clueless about Annas identity) and especially by Ifans. When the show ended, Justine talked a bit about how much she loved it. Curtis himself has never spoken publicly about his friend, nor identified the celebrity in question. So, is "Notting Hill" based on a true story? However, the Daily Mail ran a story in March 2021 alleging that the friend is a man named William Sieghart and the famous person was actress Uma Thurman. Ill see you Tuesday.. Fifteen million dollars, Julia Roberts says, and he STILL doesnt quite get it until Julia Roberts goes to the bathroom and the other friends freak out a bit. If Curtis sharply funny script has a flaw, it comes in trying to make a serious point about media intrusion and the boundaries of privacy. And that was me telling Justine how much I love her work after we had been talking for 10 minutes and I TOTALLY did not recognize her. But of course, they must meet again. This isnt just true of celebrities. There are few things she seems to enjoy more than me making a fool out of myself. A friend of his, an ordinary, normal guy, was in Harrods one day and met a very famous woman, and ended up taking her back to his flat in Notting Hilland all kinds of nonsense ensued. And Im getting that familiar feeling that Im missing something.

Its one of the best scenes in the film. After all, they live in two different worlds. On two occasions I didnt recognize my wife.

, well, its fair to say that he had just a few disagreements to talk about, which was great fun. You cant preorder it quite yet because, you know, he hasnt written it, but you will want to start putting your money away immediately to buy numerous copies. There are moments in the middle of this comedy that bring the audience to that kind of hushed silence you get when truths are told. It was a low point, I admit. People do get offended when you dont recognize them particularly if they were in your wedding party. She then introduced me to the two friends she came with, a man and a woman with Australian accents and they too were lovely, and they left, and then, in another quirky brush with fame, Alex introduced me to Larry Lucchino, former president of the Red Sox, Padres and Orioles. Thats the first hint. What do you think?". Cookies help us deliver our Services.

He tries to keep his cool, although hes as agog as if she were, well, Julia Roberts. *Tommy was in New York because he had just finished attending the Westminster Dog Show his new book coming next year will be about the dog show world and our incredible connection to dogs. is a reader-supported venture. And I thought, Maybe this guy works for the As. This is all taking an awful lot of time, and I am babbling away, stalling to figure out who Im talking with, and Im sure I said at least 10 utterly humiliating things before FINALLY figuring out that I was talking with David Forst, the general manager of the Oakland As, who I had not only talked with on multiple occasions but had talked to about our mutual appreciation of Bruce Springsteen. And I realized that it was the As. *Do you have any books by Dickens? the customer asks. Brightcast is a digital publishing company dedicated to creating an enjoyable content experience for users. *I thought the name was Willow but thats a whole other thing. Anna wanders into Williams bookstore one day.

Brightcast prides itself on finding high-quality contributors who are as passionate about the content as the fans reading it. And Bernie played by the Lord Grantham guy from Downton Abbey does not recognize her. Grant mentioned Curtis' mysterious friend again in an interview with E!

This complete inability to recognize people has caused me many embarrassing headaches through the years. There are other moments when they are basically just a boy and a girl, hand in hand, wandering at night through London. The moment we see Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant together on the screen, we want to see them snogging. She was at the SAG Awards. This scene allows Curtis to take a series of wicked jabs at the publicity machine that helps Anna command $15 million a film.

Shes Willa.

It includes a delightful array of one-liners, quirky sidekicks, and a central couple who fall in and out of love with alarming speed. And I realized that the baseball playoffs were about to start.

Bella is a former flame of Williams who is now sadly confined to a wheelchair. Its the perfect romantic comedy story line. Because I love Succession. I didnt think I would it doesnt exactly seem like my kind of show because there are really no characters to root for but I absolutely love it and have seen every episode multiple times. Have you got a copy of Winnie the Pooh?, Martin, Hugh Grant says to his assistant.

The two friends who were hosting the party would have no idea who she was, and Helen would just be screaming with excitement and definitely try to make Madonna her best friend. She acknowledges his unspoken adoration and is grateful that it remains unspoken. Were a travel bookshop. On one occasion, she didnt recognize me, she actually had a choice to sit next to me on a bus or someone else and she thought, no way am I sitting next to that guy and chose to sit next to the other person, so, totally get it. His sister loses her mind as shes long dreamed of being Julia Roberts best friend.

Now, Im beginning to get a queasy feeling. These friends and others, like a restaurant owner, represent a salt-of-the-earth alternative to Annas show-biz satellites. The best way to support us here is by taking out a paid subscription. She enjoyed the way he handles a would-be shoplifter, and their eyes as they say meet. This is funny to start with because, seriously, who would not recognize Julia Roberts? But, he has talked about the ways in which his own life acted as inspiration for the film. In the scene, when Honey first sees Anna, she reacts, "Oh holy f***! Then I asked what brought her and her friends to the show, and she said it was because she had met Alex at the SAG Awards. Theres a funny scene near the beginning of the movie Notting Hill. Hugh Grants character, who owns a travel book shop in London*, brings Julia Roberts she has a different name in the movie but shes basically Julia Roberts to his little sisters birthday dinner, which is being held at a friends house. A couple of other friends try to stay cool about things but are barely holding it together.

Anna is disarmed, grateful; She offers a spontaneous kiss and, later, an invitation for a drink at her hotel. Anna is seen not simply as a desirable woman, but as a complicated one.

And theres no way to really explain it to people. This is a funny scene.

By the end, as much as were aware of the ancient story machinery groaning away below deck, were smiling. Still, it doesnt detract from the feel good element of the movie, and the scintillating chemistry between Roberts and Grant. Maybe the reason I dont recognize celebrities or long-lost friends or United States Presidents is that Im too much in my own head, that I do not actively try to notice things. At one point, he said he was in town for the game, and I thought: OK, he is in sports of some kind.. There are so many humiliating moments to come. She accepts an invitation to accompany William to a birthday party for his ditzy sister Honey (the late Emma Chambers) at the home of their friends Max (Tim McInnerny) and Bella (Gina McKee). I knew she would get a huge kick out of that.

She wanted to see it completely clueless about it. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-10987137/Brad-Pitt-details-struggle-rare-face-blindness-condition-prosopagnosia.html. And this is bad because as the years go on, my recognition skills only diminish.

We know they are designed to be together but were always quicker to figure it out than the characters themselves. Maybe, in some ways, I really am letting the world pass me by. Some years ago again, this is absolutely true I was playing in a pickup basketball game for a couple of hours with some people I didnt know, and I was guarding one guy in particular, and when the game ended he said, OK!

There was something warm and familiar about her.

Speaking with Variety in 2019, Curtis revealed that imagining how his friends might react to him bringing a celebrity to their weekly dinners was a starting point for his writing the film. Well done! And then he asks her what she made in her last movie. Roberts has the likes of 1990's "Pretty Woman," 1997's "My Best Friend's Wedding," and 1999's "Runaway Bride" under her belt. Online, revealing, "This is a story [Curtis] won't admit to, but he's told me in a drunken moment. Like the star. And I vowed to myself to at least try and be better about that.

And just then Justine came back in: This time I recognized her straightaway, and she reintroduced me to her friends, and I remembered their names, Sarah and Dave, and I thought to myself: Yes, it has begun. Some of the details do seem very credible. This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. But my friend Tommy Tomlinson was in New York* at the same time, and Tommy also knows Alex, so we went together. The birthday party she attends with William could arguably be the first normal evening shes had in years. By lovely I mean she just exuded niceness.

Anyway, I was sitting and waiting for the show to begin when a lovely woman sat down next to me. But its funnier in our house. Theres a great finish to the Bernie scene in Notting Hill. As Julia Roberts leaves the party, Bernie shouts out: Love your work!. He stated, "There was one who has never heard of anybody famous and then other one was Helen Fielding, who wrote 'Bridget Jones's Diary' and knew everybody. Its weird that I had never met Larry before, but I had not, and when he found out that I had written.

Its weird that I had never met Larry before, but I had not, and when he found out that I had written The Baseball 100, well, its fair to say that he had just a few disagreements to talk about, which was great fun. Is Curtis alluding to a real event in someone's life?". Of course she does. Anyway, back to the movie Hugh Grants character brings JULIA ROBERTS to the party, and each friend reacts to this rather stunning development differently. In a time of digital glitz and superhero films, Notting Hill reminds us of the simple pleasures weve been missing. His character, William, runs a modest little travel book shop in London.

Grants character lives in his former marital home with a rodent-like half-breed called Spike (Twin Towns Ifans on top, scene-stealing form).

Actors Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant have both starred in some iconic romantic comedies. But he's so scared of people finding out who this very famous person was that he won't tell anyone that story.". Probably not the lowest, though. In the wrong setting, I would absolutely fail to recognize my favorite college professor, my next-door neighbor, or either of my two brothers. But it gets funnier as he asks Julia Roberts what she does and even when she says that shes an actress, he STILL doesnt get that shes Julia Roberts. The second thing I thought was that I probably should be more present in the world. The next time they meet, William accidentally spills orange juice all over her which prompts her to go to his house to change. How about the latest John Grisham thriller?, No, Hugh Grant says. And hey, When the show ended, Justine talked a bit about how much she loved it. The birthday party is the films laugh highlight, as Williams friends struggle to retain their cool in the presence of a star and then scream like rabid groupies the second she leaves the house. You know how there are just those people who immediately seem nice? And in 1999, the two rom-com stars came together for "Notting Hill," directed by the late Roger Michell and written by Richard Curtis. Its actually the second time Ive seen it. We talked about how much fun it is to be surprised by a show. And she easily and naturally moved on from the whole not being recognized by someone who says he loves "Succession, thing and we just talked about a surprising amount of stuff baseball, restaurants in Charleston, the NBA playoffs, the joys and pitfalls of living in New York and then Alex came out and the show began. William arrives during a press junket for Annas new film and pretends to be a journalist from an obscure magazine entitled Horse and Hound. Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in. "[Richard Curtis] wrote this other film and it was based on something that actually happened to a friend of his, who was a very kind of unfamous bloke living in Notting Hill, who happened to fall in love with an extremely, extremely world-famous person who I'm not allowed to mention, and she with him," he explained.

And I knew that I was supposed to know him, that I had talked to him before, but I had no idea why, and so I probed him with various embarrassing questions as I tried to put it together. Roberts, meanwhile, is so radiant as the film star trying desperately to convince her new beau shes just a girl standing in front of a girl asking her to love him. Its as if this was the role she was born to play. I am now living my more observant life., And Alex came over to give Sarah and big hug and said, I just love you so much on Succession.. Notting Hill, while falling just short of the Four Weddings benchmark, still makes for solid, crowd-pleasing entertainment. She then introduced me to the two friends she came with, a man and a woman with Australian accents and they too were lovely, and they left, and then, in another quirky brush with fame, Alex introduced me to Larry Lucchino, former president of the Red Sox, Padres and Orioles. One comes when Roberts looks into the camera and predicts Annas future: One day my looks will go, and Ill be a sad middle-aged woman who looks like someone who was famous for a while. To be beautiful and famous is, as the movie argues, to risk losing ordinary human happiness. I love your work! I said to Sarah as she and the group left the theater. And then her real life kicks in, complete with a movie star boyfriend (Alec Baldwin) who thinks William is a room service attendant.

When he finds out that shes actually in the movies, he (so wonderfully) says: Oh splendid!

I used to imagine what would it be like if I drove down [to their house] with Madonna how would the dinner party go?

Her life doesnt make it easy for her to be happy. The movie is bright, the dialogue has wit and intelligence, and Roberts and Grant are very easy to like.

* Shes the wife of the guy who played Cameron in Ferris Bueller. Shes awesome, one of my favorite characters, and oh, by the way one of the most striking characters on the show, long blond hair, beautiful, impossible really to NOT recognize her.

", This idea of Curtis' eventually evolved into the scene in "Notting Hill," in which William brings Anna to meet his friends Max (Tim McInnerny), Bella (Gina McKee), Bernie (Hugh Bonneville) and his sister Honey (Emma Chambers). Notting Hill reassembles three of the key players from Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994): Grant, screenwriter Richard Curtis and producer Duncan Kenworthy. Meanwhile, Grant has fallen in love on screen for films such as 1994's "Four Weddings and a Funeral," 2002's "About a Boy," and 2003's "Love Actually." "Notting Hill" follows William Thacker (Grant), who owns a bookstore in the Notting Hill neighborhood of London, as he meets and falls in love with a famous actress, Anna Scott (Roberts), after she comes into his shop. In a 2018 video interview with Vanity Fair, in which he discussed his most famous roles, Hugh Grant blatantly said that "Notting Hill" is based on a true story. Her character, Anna, is one of the most famous movie stars in the world. Because Im Bernie. Grant has matured from a bumbling, pompous buffoon into the kind of leading man you actually end up rooting for.

The Daily Mail didn't cite any sources and merely wrote "evidence now suggests" so this element should definitely be taken with a grain of salt.