Hugh Grant considers his character in 'Notting Hill' to be 'despicable'

Many adored Hugh Grant's portrayal in the 1999 romantic comedy "Notting Hill," yet Grant himself remains unimpressed. During a discussion for Vanity Fair's "Scene Selection," he reflected on embodying William Thacker alongside Julia Roberts' Anna Scott. "Whenever I find myself channel surfing after a few drinks and stumble upon this film, I wonder, ‘Why does my character lack any backbone?’" Grant remarked. "There's a particular scene where she’s at my place, the paparazzi arrive, ring the bell, and I just let her pass by to open the door. It's dreadful."

In the storyline, Anna, a renowned actress, falls for William, a bookseller in Notting Hill. This romance necessitated dealing with her celebrity status and the relentless paparazzi, a challenge Grant felt his character inadequately handled. "Every significant other I've had has questioned, ‘Why on earth didn’t you stop her? What’s wrong with you?’" Grant noted about the scene. "And I can't offer a decent explanation. It's simply how it was scripted. Honestly, I find him quite contemptible."

Grant, who gained fame as a romantic lead, often critiques his own performances. "There’s a notion that I detest all my films. That's inaccurate; the films themselves are often splendid. It’s my performance I disdain. I constantly think, ‘You ruined it,’" he confessed to The Hollywood Reporter in 2016. "One never feels satisfied with their own work. It's akin to the old days of hearing your voice on an answering machine, which was always cringe-worthy. Watching oneself on screen magnifies that discomfort exponentially.