Lily James on her love of “genius” filmmaker Richard Curtis
Star of such films as Baby Driver, Darkest Hour, The Dig, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, and Yesterday, Lily James has established a rich and varied career spanning historical drama, romance and musicals. Never one to shy away from a challenge, she recently depicted Pamela Anderson in Pam and Tommy and even lent her voice to Boots Riley’s infinitely bizarre comic fantasy Sorry To Bother You. Here, James discusses her love for one of the UK’s most revered modern filmmakers.
In 2018, shortly after the release of the Mamma Mia! sequel, James was asked to name some of her favourite films for Rotten Tomatoes, one of which was the 1990 Julia Roberts picture Pretty Woman, directed by Richard Curtis. “Julia Roberts is just everything,” she began.
Adding: “My mom introduced me to that film really early and I’m so glad she did…I guess, in a way, now you think, ‘Oh, it’s like the Cinderella story and they probably wouldn’t even make that movie anymore; it’s not a strong message,’ or whatever. But I think that’s just nonsense. It’s such an amazing film, and I think Richard Gere and Julia Roberts had this electric chemistry, and Julia Roberts is a goddess.”
Julia Roberts, of course, is also the star of Richard Curtis’ 1997 rom-com Notting Hill, which also nearly made James’ list. The picture stars Roberts as a glamorous Hollywood actress who falls in love with a bumbling English bookshop owner played by – you guessed it – Hugh Grant. As they struggle to navigate their unusual relationship, William Thacker and Anna Scott are forced to recalibrate their vastly different lifestyles in the name of love.
Lily James would go on to work with Curtis on the 2019 Beatles romcom Yesterday, in which she plays the best friend of struggling singer-songwriter Jack Malik. “I just worked with Richard Curtis and he is one of my favourite people on the planet, James said. “I think that he is a genius, and I thank god that he exists because he’s given us so much. I think that’s why I wanted to act, just to be a part of those kind of films, to be honest — those ones that are so heart-lifting and the joy and the comedy and the quirkiness of those movies.”
