In the romcom Notting Hill, the love affair between a bumbling bookseller and a famous actress seemed so improbable it was dismissed as mere 'fantasy'. But it seems the plot of the 1999 film may have been inspired by a real-life relationship between a London publisher and Pulp Fiction star Uma Thurman, when she was the toast of Hollywood. Hugh Grant has previously suggested his Notting Hill character William Thacker was based on an unnamed real person – something writer Richard Curtis has always been keen to play down. It seems the plot of Notting Hill may have been inspired by a real-life relationship between a London publisher and Pulp Fiction star Uma Thurman, when she was the toast of HollywoodIn 1994, Mr Sieghart had a romance with Uma Thurman, then 24. Like Thacker and Anna Scott, Julia Roberts's Notting Hill character, Ms Thurman and Mr Sieghart are thought to have started a romance after a chance meeting.

Source: Daily Mail March 20, 2021 23:35 UTC