Originally appeared on E! Online Julia Roberts was just a girl standing in front of a movie role, asking herself if it was a good idea. The “After the Hunt” actress explained why she almost turned down the leading role in the 1999 movie “Notting Hill” alongside Hugh Grant. “Gosh, I just remember when my agent called me about ‘Notting Hill’ and I thought, ‘Well, that sounds like the dumbest idea of any movie I could ever do,’” Roberts told Deadline in an interview published Jan. 6. “‘I’m going to play the world’s biggest movie star and I do what? And then what happens? This sounds so f—— stupid.’” The Oscar winner admitted, though, that she softened to the movie after reading the script, written by Richard Curtis, about a movie star that falls in love with a bookstore owner. “I was like, ‘Oh. This is so charming. It’s so funny. Oh, s—’” she continued. “And then I went to lunch with Richard and [producer] Duncan [Kenworthy] and beloved [director] Roger Michell, may he rest in peace.” READ: Julia Roberts Shows Off Her Hidden Talent at Gotham Awards Oct 31, 2022 How George Clooney and Julia Roberts Spent Their First Big Paychecks ACADEMY AWARDS Dec 24, 2025 Oscars 2026: How to watch the movies getting the most awards buzz However, Roberts went into her meeting with the movie’s creative team fully prepared to tell them, “No, this isn’t going to work. I’m passing on this movie.” “And they were just so charming and sweet and funny,” she shared. “And I thought, ‘Wow, this is really going to happen.’” Once she signed on, Roberts — mom to 21-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus and son Henry, 18, with husband Danny Moder — said filming the movie was a delightful experience. “We had a beautiful time doing it,” the “August: Osage County” actress said. “It was cast to perfection, all the friends, everybody. It was so great. And we had a beautiful time. And I think Roger, he just created the film in a way that it just, at every turn, it succeeded.” Plus, how could she forget Alec Baldwin’s cameo? “That’s brilliant casting.” ...read more read less