Hugh Grant on why he is “terrible actor”
When Ridley Scott thought he’d cornered the market as cinema’s pre-eminent curmudgeon, along comes the relentlessly miserable Hugh Grant to try and steal away his thunder as the most downbeat household name the industry has to offer.
There are plenty of reasons to believe that it’s all just an act, though, considering the actor has been quietly embarking on a renaissance of sorts that’s seen him try his hand at playing villains, adopting outlandish accents, and just generally chewing on the scenery whenever possible.
It comes at a cost, at least the way Grant tells it, after he described his recent motion-captured performance as Oompa Loompa in Wonka as akin to “a crown of thorns”, going so far as to say he “hated it every minute of it”. A dejected old soul or a deadpan veteran embracing the latest stage of his career, one thing that’s guaranteed is an unfiltered opinion.
However, even in the nascent years of the mini-resurgence that began with a multi-faceted turn in Cloud Atlas and continued through to The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Paddington 2, The Gentlemen, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – which itself came after a three-year sabbatical from screens – Grant still couldn’t help but tear himself down.
Taking second billing in a biographical drama behind Meryl Streep with Stephen Frears directing is a plum gig for any star, but in typically self-deprecating fashion, Grant trashed his own abilities when promoting the film. “I’m a terrible actor, I’m still learning. When I first started, I wish I knew then to trust myself more, really,” he said to Vanity Fair. “I was in a terrible panic in the early part of my career. I used to pre-rehearse everything and then bring my pre-rehearsed performance to the set.”
Even though Streep received her obligatory Academy Award nomination for her central performance, Frears’ Florence Foster Jenkins received an enthusiastic response from all corners, which included Grant’s tilt at the title character’s long-time companion and manager, St. Clair Bayfield.
Fortunately, he was at least willing to admit he’s happy to accept acting is a profession with a never-ending learning curve, even if he couldn’t help but sneak a shot in at an entire country along the way. “Now, I’m learning to let it happen in the moment. American actors are much better at that than British actors,” he continued. “If I knew how to trust myself, I would have been much more relaxed. Maybe I would have less grey hairs today.”
Continuing his eclectic recent trajectory, Grant will next be seen in Jerry Seinfeld’s highly specific biopic Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story and horror thriller Heretic from the writers responsible for A Quiet Place. Whether he thinks he’s terrible or not, he remains as keen as ever to keep on mixing it up.
