If you make a list of the most iconic romantic comedies, Hugh Grant probably starred in most of them. Both producers and viewers, especially female viewers, fell in love with his boyish charm and comedic talent. He made a certain brand of lover, but unfortunately he was heavily pigeonholed. In life, Hugh Grant was also a lover and he avoided marriage and children like the plague. By the time…
He planned a scientific career and loved literature. He got into the movie by chance
He was born in London and raised there. His parents weren’t very wealthy, so he quickly realized that he needed to become independent. Even as a teenager, he was very handsome, although he himself thought it was in the wrong way. He felt that he was pretty, yes, but not masculine. He got into fights because he hoped any scars would change that. Hugh Grant had no plans to pursue an acting career at all. Probably few people know, but he studied at Oxford and wanted to become a literary scholar, because literature was his long-time passion. His studies were possible thanks to a scholarship he won for high academic performance. He was doing great at Oxford, and acting came into his life by accident and while still studying. He appeared in a student film, which was later shown at several small festivals. And that was enough for role offers to appear. However, he had a different plan: he wanted to do a PhD, so he flatly refused. Unfortunately, this required financial resources that he did not have. He was looking for odd jobs, including a football club, where he was responsible for … turf care, he also became a waiter in a gay club, and also cleaned toilets at the London headquarters of the computer giant IBM. Years later, in an interview, he commented:
I was good at it. I know all about cleaning toilets. I can go straight into the pipes. I can produce crystal urine.
Surprisingly, he also added that in those years he was even happier, and perhaps he will return to this profession. Sarcasm is an inherent character trait. With time, he started working for advertising agencies, for which he created slogans and sales texts. He spent several years working on television in a comedy group called The Jockeys of Norfolk, and there he could definitely realize his sense of humor. He played on the big screen for the first time in 1987 in the film “Maurycy” and already then he became famous. He even received an award at the Venice Film Festival. However, the breakthrough came a few years later.
The list of his iconic roles in romantic comedies is very long. He had had enough of it
The turning point in Hugh Grant’s career was the role in the film “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, produced in 1994. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t done anything in the meantime. He has already played several significant roles, including in “Bitter Weddings” and “The Remains of the Day”. The comedy, however, is considered cult and still enjoys a large viewership. The world recognized Hugh Grant as an actor with outstanding potential for roles in romantic comedies. In this role, he was a lover, but not yet as he was later. His character had the charm of a clumsy boy with a soul on his shoulder, and together with Andy MacDowell they created a perfect duo. Women around the world loved him, critics crowed with delight. He won a Golden Globe for “Four Weddings and a Funeral”. He played a similar character in “Notting Hill” with Julia Roberts, “Sense and Sensibility” with Emma Thomson and “9 Months” with Julianne Moore. In the next cult comedy “Bridget Jones’s Diary”, he also played a lover, but more as a seducer. Fans even loved him for this role, which is why he also starred in the second part. He was waiting for offers of serious and dark roles, but it was hard to get out of the lover’s drawer. “This is Love”. The dance he performed is considered one of the most iconic scenes in the history of comedy cinema. And then he retired from acting for several years. Supposedly, soda water and great success never went to his head. Sarah Jessica Parker, who co-starred with him in Have You Heard of the Morgans, said:
On the set, Hugh is always articulate, yet gallant and smart – he really impresses. He always tries to remember the name of each crew member. He’s an exceptionally charming guy. I can say that he is my favorite movie partner.
Lover in film and in life. After 50, everything changed
He was fed up with the roles of lover, but privately he was also one. He even has an affair with a Polish woman on the list of his conquests. In an interview with High Heels, he said:
I’ve never been to Poland, but I had a Polish girlfriend. And I kissed for the first time in a Polish cultural center. I know your country very well.
He was very amorous until model and actress Liz Hurley stood in his way. The world was delighted with them, talented, beautiful and young people were considered the perfect couple. However, Hugh avoided marriage and children like the plague, and was even opposed to such commitments. Reportedly, Liz kept hoping she’d change her mind over time. And then a sex scandal broke out. The actor was caught in an intimate situation with a prostitute, which landed him in the police, and the information in the media. Liz nevertheless forgave him, but the relationship that lasted several years did not last. Hugh returned to the lover’s life and changed partners like gloves. He met with with Sandra Bullock, Martine McCutcheon, Jemima Khan and Drew Barrymore. He never wanted to become a father, but at the age of 50 he became one quite by accident, as a result of a very fleeting affair with Tinglan Hong. The baby, however, did not make him decide to settle down. To everyone’s surprise, he became a father again only a year later, this time the mother was the Swedish television producer Anna Eberstein. They were a couple, but Hugh had an affair with Tinglan again and had another child with her. The twists and turns are truly cinematic, and this is not the end. Finally, he decided to permanently associate with Anna and with her he has two more sons. To sum up, after the age of 50, Hugh Grant, the eternal bachelor, had five children. And in 15 months, he welcomed 3 babies into the world. Formally, however, he decided to change his marital status and in 2018 he married Anna. Another scandal broke out along the way. Liz Hurley has a relationship with a famous millionaire. She became pregnant, but he said that it was not his child, but Hugh Grant’s. DNA tests disproved that theory, but he did not back down from it. The actor, on the other hand, decided to become the godfather of Liz’s son, because they are still friends.
A new chapter in the actor’s life. A bit dark and ex-Bond’s husband
He took a long break from romantic comedies. He even turned down an offer to play in the long-awaited third part of “Bridget Jones”. In the end, he was offered more serious and dark roles. Two years ago, he wowed the audience in the miniseries Again and Again, as well as a gay politician in A Very English Scandal. His performance in “Divine Florence” was well received, opposite Meryl Streep. And he announces that he will now choose heroes sinister and slimy, although he makes some surprising concessions. In December, the second part of the Knives Out: Glass series premiered on Netflix Onion, starring Daniel Craig. This one is trying to do the opposite. He wants to escape the image of the gloomy James Bond and prove himself in comedies. And he’s doing great! And what about Hugh Grant? Well, in Glass Onion, although only for a few seconds, he played the husband of the main character-detective Benoit Blanc. Looking at the list of his future projects, he will surprise us more than once. At the age of 62, he intends to lead his career in a completely different way.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
