From Notting Hill with Love Actually
Page 35
The day on which you visit will definitely affect how much of Portobello Road you can actually see! If you have chosen to come on a Saturday when the famous antique market is in full flow, you will quickly be enveloped and swept along through the brightly colored stalls by the huge crowds which flood this area every weekend, out to hunt down a bargain, or their own Beavis & Butthead stained-glass window as featured at the beginning of the Notting Hill movie.
If, however, crowds aren’t your thing, and you’re visiting on a quiet day, carry on down Portobello Road at your own pace (hopefully you won’t be dragging a heavy suitcase behind you like Scarlett was!). Browse at the various antique and craft shops along the way, until you come to the junction with Westbourne Park Road. Look to your right; on the corner is now a Coffee Republic. This is the spot where Hugh Grant spilled orange juice down Julia Roberts’s shirt in the movie. But if you turn left, you’ll see a very plain looking, black painted door directly opposite you at number 280. That door was originally the site of the famous blue door in the movie—the one Hugh Grant came in and out of, and the one Rhys Ifans’s character famously posed in front of in his underpants for the worlds’ press!
Continuing down Westbourne Park Road, turn left at Ladbroke Grove, then left into Blenheim Crescent where you will find the Travel Bookshop. This isn’t where they filmed the bookshop scenes for the movie, but this is the bookshop Will’s was inspired by. And when you’ve finished having your photo taken outside, take a moment to go in for a browse (just as Scarlett did when she met Sean for the first time) because you’ll find the interior of the shop is exactly like the movie version!
When you leave the bookshop, turn left (but be careful not to bump into any dog-carrying boutique owners like Scarlett did!) and continue down Blenheim Crescent, turning left when you get to the junction with Ladbroke Grove again. Continue a little way along the street, passing one of Notting Hill’s many locked gardens along the way. Stop and peer through the bars for a moment and imagine Hugh and Julia sitting on a bench there or, now you’ve read this book, Scarlett and Sean too. I don’t advise you try to climb over the top of the railings, though!
Follow the road a little further until you come to Lansdowne Road. This is where Scarlett’s and Sean’s houses would have been in the story. The houses on the left-hand side as you enter the road have steps leading up to their front doors—exactly the sort of steps that Scarlett and Sean had many encounters on during the novel.
Find your way back to Portobello Road. Why not finish off the day with a visit to the Coronet Cinema on Notting Hill Gate? I can’t guarantee you’ll find Hugh Grant sitting in the stalls wearing snorkeling goggles or that one of the usherettes will surprise you in the same way they surprised Scarlett. But you might just catch a good movie.
(Perhaps not quite as good as Notting Hill, though.)
—Ali McNamara
Scarlett’s Mini Movie Quiz
Are you a true movie buff like Scarlett? Do you really know your stuff? Take this quiz on Scarlett’s favorite movies and find out!
1. In Notting Hill, Anna checks into the Ritz with a cartoon character’s name. Which two names did she use in the movie?
A. Flintstone & Pocahontas
B. Pocahontas & Bambi
C. Flintstone & Rubble
D. Simpson & Flanders
2. Also in Notting Hill, what does Hugh Grant’s character, Will, exclaim when he tries to climb over the garden fence, but slips?
A. Golly gosh!
B. Whoopsy daisies!
C. Oh bother!
D. Crikey!
3. What type of car is Edward driving when he picks up Vivian in Pretty Woman?
A. Porsche
B. Ferrari
C. Lotus
D. Lambourghini
4. Sticking with Pretty Woman, what street are Kit and Vivian working on?
A. Beverly Hills Boulevard
B. Los Angeles Boulevard
C. Hollywood Boulevard
D. Rodeo Drive
5. Which two authors made an appearance in Bridget Jones’s Diary?
A. Jeffrey Archer & Salman Rushdie
B. Agatha Christie & Jeffrey Archer
C. Salman Rushdie & Dan Brown
D. JK Rowling & Dick Francis
6. What did Bridget put in the soup to make it turn blue for her birthday meal?
A. Blueberries
B. Gin
C. String
D. Food coloring
7. In Sleepless in Seattle, where is Sam when he first sees Annie?
A. On a highway
B. At a train station
C. At a restaurant
D. At an airport
8. Which newspaper does Annie work for?
A. Baltimore Sun
B. New York Times
C. Washington Post
D. Chicago Tribune
9. Which of these people are not mentioned when Hugh Grant’s character lists the great things that have come out of Britain in Love, Actually?
A. Jeremy Clarkson
B. David Beckham
C. Harry Potter
D. Sean Connery
10. What is on the last card that Mark shows to Keira Knightley’s character Juliet?
A. Merry Christmas
B. To Me You Are Perfect
C. My Wasted Heart Will Love You
D. Enough Now
Answers: 1. Flinstone & Pocahontas; 2. Whoopsy daisies; 3. Lotus; 4. Hollywood Boulevard; 5. Jeffery Archer & Salman Rushdie; 6. String; 7. At an airport; 8. Baltimore Sun; 9. Jeremy Clarkson; 10. Merry Christmas
Scarlett’s Favorite Movies
If you’re head-over-heels for movies, just like Scarlett O’Brien, why not clear the whole day and sit down to watch a marathon of your favorites? You could start with Scarlett’s top five—just make sure you have enough popcorn at hand to last you through all five films! You’ll find some top trivia here to really get you in the mood…
Notting Hill
Directed by Roger Michell, 1999
Starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts
Notting Hill is a classic British romantic comedy. It was written by Richard Curtis who had previously penned the just-as-classic Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Hugh Grant plays bookshop owner Will, who literally bumps into international movie star Anna, played by Julia Roberts. Their will-they-won’t-they love story plays out in Notting Hill, with the most iconic scene taking place in a private garden.
The movie won several awards, including a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, a British Comedy Award, and a Brit Award for its soundtrack.
Three facts you might not know…
Will’s house—at 280 Westbourne Park Road—was once owned by Richard Curtis, and behind the famous blue door featured in the movie (now painted black), there is actually a very impressive house, not at all like the grubby dwelling in the film (the flat we see is actually a movie set).
During the dinner party scene, Julia’s character Anna Scott is asked how much she was paid for her last movie. She replies, “15 million dollars.” This is the amount Julia Roberts was paid for her role in Notting Hill.
The film features the painting La Mariée by Marc Chagall. Richard Curtis is a big fan of Chagall’s work. The producers had a reproduction made for use in the film, but first had to get permission from the British Design and Artists Copyright Society and the painting’s real owner. The producers also had to agree to destroy it at the end of the movie in case the fake was too convincing!
Pretty Woman
Directed by Garry Marshall, 1990
Starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts
Pretty Woman is a well-loved American romantic comedy from the nineties, written by J. F. Lawton. Richard Gere plays Edward, a workaholic businessman in L.A. on business. He meets Julia Roberts’ character, Vivian, when he stops to ask for directions. The movie features some truly iconic moments—who hasn’t laughed at the snapping jewelry case or sighed when Edward braves his fea
r of heights and climbs the fire escape?
Three facts you might not know …
The iconic moment when Edward snaps the jewelry box shut on Vivian’s fingers was entirely improvised by Richard Gere. Julia Roberts’s reaction was so natural and charming that it was kept in the final version of the movie.
Lots of leading actresses turned down the part of Vivian before it was offered to Julia Roberts—including Meg Ryan, Michelle Pfeiffer, Molly Ringwald, and Winona Ryder.
When filming the scene where Vivian sings along to the Prince song “Kiss” in the bath, the cast and crew played a prank on Julia Roberts. Emerging from the bubbly water, Julia found the whole set deserted—everyone had left the studio, even the cameraman!
Bridget Jones’s Diary
Directed by Sharon Maguire, 2001
Starring Hugh Grant, Renée Zellweger, and Colin Firth
This movie is based on the novel of the same name written by Helen Fielding, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie along with Richard Curtis and Andrew Davies. Renée Zellweger plays Bridget, the ever-single Londoner who keeps track of all her romantic ups and downs in her trusty diary. And she certainly has a lot of ups and downs with Mark Darcy (played by Colin Firth) and Daniel Cleaver (played by Hugh Grant) rivaling for her affections. The sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, was released in 2004.
Three things you might not know…
When writing her novel, Helen Fielding ironically based the character of Mark Darcy on Colin Firth’s portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the TV adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, which aired in 1995. There are also several other links to this Jane Austen novel in the film. Bridget and Daniel work at Pemberley Press; Pemberley is the name of Mr. Darcy’s ancestral home in the Austen novel.
To prepare for the role, Renée Zellweger gained nearly twenty-eight pounds and worked undercover at a British publishing company for a month. She practiced her British accent while she was there and kept a framed picture of Jim Carrey, her boyfriend at the time, on her desk.
The director, Sharon Maguire, is a close friend of Helen Fielding. The author actually based the character of “Shazza,” one of Bridget’s best friends, on her, so it seems fitting that she directed the movie of the novel!
Sleepless in Seattle
Directed by Nora Ephron, 1993
Starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks
Sleepless in Seattle was inspired by the classic romantic movie from 1957, An Affair to Remember. The final scene at the top of the Empire State Building (where Meg Ryan’s character Annie Reed and Tom Hanks’s character Sam Baldwin meet for the first time) is a direct reference to the scene in An Affair to Remember where Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr fail to meet at the same spot. Meg Ryan plays the sensible and reliable Annie, engaged to equally sensible Walter, but when she hears Sam talking on a radio phone-in one night, she begins to fall in love with him before they even meet.
Three things you might not know …
The scene when Sam and his brother-in-law discuss the movie The Dirty Dozen and pretend to cry was made up on the spot by the two actors.
Meg Ryan was not the first choice for the role of Annie. Kim Basinger, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Jodie Foster all turned down the part. Julia Roberts was actually the first actress to be offered the part.
In the whole film, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks have roughly just two minutes of on-screen time together. That’s a lot of chemistry in just two minutes!
And one last interesting fact about Richard Curtis: in each screenplay that Richard Curtis writes, he puts in an annoying or silly character called Bernard. This dates back to Curtis’s twenties, when a past girlfriend married a man called Bernard. In Love, Actually, the character is Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman’s annoying son.
Keep your eyes peeled for a “Bernard” or a “Bernie” in all of Richard Curtis’s other movies.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my wonderful agent, Hannah, for taking a chance on me, and to my editor, Caroline, and everyone at Sphere for all your help and support.
To all the original RKMB girls who read, laughed, and demanded more! Without you lot, I definitely wouldn’t be writing this now. Especially Karen, Carol, and all those who remember “the hotel, the BMW, and the cliff…”
And to my family: Mum and Dad, thank you for fueling my overactive imagination by making me an only child! And finally to Jim, Rosie, and Tom: thank you for everything, you are my world, I love you, x.
About the Author
Ali McNamara lives in Cambridge in the UK with her husband and two children. This is her first novel. Get in touch with Ali at www.alimcnamara.co.uk or @AliMcNamara on Twitter.