Hugh Grant names the weirdest movies he ever made: “I was pretty damn bad in them”
British culture was booming in the 1990s with the rise of ‘Cool Britannia’, a time defined by an interest in all things British. Britpop was thriving with mouthy and incredibly competitive bands like Blur and Oasis, while the Spice Girls were spicing up lives, Kate Moss was dominating catwalks with her heroin chic look, and football culture had reached a fever pitch. In 1997, New Labour won the election, and a distinctive sense of optimism and creativity emerged.
For Hugh Grant, the ultra-English heartthrob known for his floppy hair and posh accent, this era allowed him to find a place in various successful British movies. The ‘90s were a great decade for British cinema, with more funding given to local filmmakers resulting in some iconic releases, particularly in the comedy genre. Grant appeared in 1994’s Four Weddings and a Funeral to great success, followed by roles in Sense and Sensibility and The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain.
He represented the stereotypical idea of an Englishman, bumbling but incredibly charming. Perfectly capable of delivering a natural sense of humour on screen that felt innately built into his DNA, he also proved to be the ideal romantic lead, something that he continued to excel at with smash hits like Notting Hill. He then continued his reign into the 2000s with parts in About A Boy, Love Actually and Bridget Jones’s Diary.
Yet, before he was the star of many classic rom-coms and period dramas, Grant had cut his teeth in what he believes are some rather strange roles. Making his debut in the long-forgotten Privileged, Grant made his second ever film appearance with Maurice, which we can invariably rule out of his list of “strange” early films because it remains a classic part of the queer cinematic canon. Directed by James Ivory, it helped to get Grant’s name out there, although he followed it with some rather questionable choices, several of which he calls (via Cigar Aficionado) “Euro-puddings.”
He starred in various television films, like The Lady and the Highwayman, which he once looked back at with embarrassment, stating “I’m meant to be sexy. Low-budget, bad wig, bad hat. I look like Deputy Dawg.” Then there was his unusual decision to appear in a Spanish film, Rowing with the Wind, but perhaps his strangest choice was The Lair of the White Worm.
Directed by Ken Russell – the legendary filmmaker who received both controversy and acclaim for The Devils in 1971 – the film is now a cult favourite, although upon its release in 1988, critics were baffled by it. Grant explained, “I was pretty damn bad in a lot of them—although the Champagne baron I played with a stick-on mustache was quite fun. But let’s not beat about the bush: The Lair of the White Worm is quite a strange film.”
He continued, “It’s difficult to be good when you’re saying lines that have been translated from Spanish to English by someone who speaks French. They make little sense. When you do things like that, you know hardly anyone will see them. I enjoyed the work, getting drunk at night, flirting with the actors. They were fun to do.”
So, while Grant might not be entirely proud of these early roles, he can at least say he enjoyed the experience, which inevitably prepared him for a much more impressive career later down the line.
