Cary Grant names his favourite role of his career: “I thoroughly enjoyed playing it”
The reason for Cary Grant’s longevity as an actor can be chalked down to his openness to an array of genres, all of which he brought his natural charm to, much to the delight of viewers who couldn’t get enough of the iconic star. The actor made his mark on the industry during the 1930s, appearing in movies like The Awful Truth, Bringing Up Baby, and Holiday during the end of the decade.
From there, Grant consistently landed roles in a range of movies, from thrillers and suspenseful Hitchcock numbers like Suspicion and North By Northwest, romantic movies like Indiscreet and That Touch of Mink, and screwball comedies like His Girl Friday, My Favorite Wife and I Was A Male War Bride.
The screwball comedy genre was one that he returned to time and time again, perhaps because Grant possessed such a natural propensity for humour. Having spent the early years of his career on the vaudeville circuit and practising stand-up comedy, the actor had gained the skills he needed to lead screwball comedies with ease, and it’s no wonder he became one of the most prominent figures in the genre.
One screwball film that stuck out as his favourite movie he ever had the pleasure of making was The Philadelphia Story. Released in 1940, the film starred Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart alongside and explored one woman’s dilemma as her imminent marriage is complicated after her ex-husband and a news reporter both arrive in her life.
The movie, directed by George Cukor, was widely acclaimed and won Stewart an Oscar. For Grant, who didn’t pick up any award nominations but was praised nonetheless, the film was a joyous experience that he really loved. He told The Saturday Evening Post, “The role of Dexter Haven in The Philadelphia Story was my favourite because I thoroughly enjoyed playing it. I liked working with Katharine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart; I liked the honesty of the story and its gentle humor. And I got special satisfaction from the fact that all the money made by this picture went to the British War Relief and the USO.”
Discussing his love for Stewart and his performance, Grant continued: “I was given the choice of playing Dexter Haven or Mike Connor, the two leading male roles. I took Dexter Haven because it was a shorter part and therefore gave me a little vacation. Jimmy Stewart took Mike Connor and received an Academy Award for his performance. But if our roles had been reversed, I’m sure Jimmy would have won the award anyway.”
He even recalled a moment of improvisation between him and Stewart, explaining, “In one scene I had to hit Jimmy Stewart on the jaw. Afterward, looking up from the floor, he said, ‘What the heck did you do that for?’ Faithful to the script, I answered, ‘George would have hit you harder.’ Then Jimmy added an impromptu line that stuck. ‘You’ll do,’ he said.”
The film remains a popular classic from the golden era of Hollywood, standing as an indelible story that paved the way for countless future rom-coms.
