From Romantic to Diabolic: The Evolution of Britain’s Favourite Romantic Lead Hugh Grant
Few actors have carved out as distinctive and enduring a niche in Hollywood as Hugh Grant. Known primarily for his floppy-haired boyish charm, wry wit and self-effacing one-liners, Grant established himself as Britain’s quintessential romantic lead after exploding onto the scene with the 1994 smash hit Four Weddings and a Funeral. In the ensuing 90s and 2000s, Grant continued to be the go-to guy for British romantic comedies (rom-coms), cementing his status as Britain’s favourite romantic lead with a string of rom-com hits that lasted for over a decade. However, in recent years, Grant’s career has taken an interesting turn. As age caught up with his handsome features, Grant has found himself no longer suitable for the rom-com – a genre that is often the domain of hot young studs. Instead, he has increasingly diverted the use of his undeniable charms and his previously concealed acting muscles to villainous roles, much to the plaudits of critics.
Extending far beyond the confines of a single genre, Grant’s journey from a global romantic heartthrob to a versatile, seasoned character actor, is both unexpected and delightful. In this issue’s cover story, we delve deep into the life, career and enduring appeal of Hugh Grant, charting his cinematic highs and lows, and how he remains, against all odds, a beloved figure both in Britain and beyond.
EARLY LIFE
Hugh John Mungo Grant was born on 9 September 1960, in Hammersmith, London, to a former soldier father who ran a carpet company, Captain James Murray Grant, and a schoolteacher mother, Fynvola Susan MacLean. Grant’s paternal side is steeped in military tradition. Besides his father’s military background, his grandfather, Colonel James Murray Grant, was also a decorated WWII hero. In fact, six previous generations of his ancestors had been military men, which made Grant’s decision to pursue acting, instead of going into military service, rather unusual.
And despite his aristocratic air, Grant’s childhood was not privileged. He grew up in the western suburbs of London in a family he had described as impoverished but genteel. Grant spent many of his childhood summers shooting and fishing with his grandfather in Scotland, and he has an older brother, James, who is a New York-based investment banker at JPMorgan Chase.
Grant started his education at Hogarth Primary School in Chiswick. He then moved to St Peter’s Primary School in Hammersmith, followed by Wetherby School, an independent preparatory school in Notting Hill. After which, he attended Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith on a scholarship, and played rugby, cricket and football for the school. He also represented Latymer Upper on the BBC radio and TV quiz show Top of the Form. Grant recalled of his time in school, “I used to do a lot of impressions of teachers, and I got caught smoking. I was badly-behaved and pretentious.”
In 1979, Grant won the Galsworthy scholarship to attend New College, Oxford, where he studied English literature. During his time there, he joined the Oxford University Dramatic Society and became involved in acting during his last year, starring as Fabian in a production of Twelfth Night. He also appeared in the student film, Privileged (1982), produced by the Oxford University Film Foundation – reputedly the first of its kind, where he played a party animal – a role that was not too dissimilar to the lifestyle he was leading at the time. Indeed, Grant reportedly only took on the role because he wanted to romance one of his co-stars and figured that being on set would be a convenient way to put the moves on her. Grant subsequently received an offer from the Courtauld
Institute of Art, University of London, to pursue a PhD in art history, but decided not to take up the offer because he wanted to pursue an acting career.
Following his debut in Privileged, Grant dabbled in a variety of jobs, working as an assistant groundsman at Fulham Football Club (of which he is a long-time fan), tutoring, writing comedy sketches for TV shows, as well as writing and producing radio commercials. He would remain in the doldrums for a good number of years.
EARLY CAREER STRUGGLES
The 80s were not kind to Grant’s fledgling acting aspirations. Like many young actors, he struggled to find substantial work. He was offered a supporting role in the 1984 British historical drama The Bounty, which starred Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins, but was prevented from playing the role
because he did not have an Equity card. An Equity card is proof of membership in the Actors’ Equity Association of the US or the British Actors’ Equity Association in the UK. The card could only be earned through acting in regional theatre. As a result, Grant joined the Nottingham Playhouse, where he performed small roles in Lady Windermere’s Fan, an avant- garde production of Hamlet and Coriolanus.
Bored with his small acting parts, Grant started a sketch- comedy group called The Jockeys of Norfolk, with his friends Chris Lang and Andy Taylor. The group was mildly successful.
They toured London’s pub comedy circuit and proved a hit at the 1985 Edinburgh Festival Fringe after their sketch on the Nativity gained them a spot on Russell Harty’s BBC2 TV show Harty Goes to…. However, this side gig hardly brought him any new opportunities in the film and TV industry. Grant continued to take on small forgettable roles in low-budget films and television series that failed to launch his career. In fact, things got so bad for Grant that he even contemplated giving up on his acting career until his brother, who was tired of financing his daily expenses, intervened by forcing him to audition for the 1987 James Ivory-Ismail Merchant period drama Maurice.
Maurice was an adaptation of E.M. Forster’s novel about same-sex love in Edwardian Britain, where homosexuality was outlawed, and being exposed meant disgrace and ruin. The movie saw Grant take on the character of Clive Durham, the first lover of the protagonist. It was Grant’s first leading role, and while the role was a significant departure from the rom-coms for which he would later become known, it garnered him critical praise. The performance showcased Grant’s considerable acting chops which he would not fully display until later in his career. Maurice marked the first time Grant’s talent was fully recognised by the industry, and it won him the Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival.
Even though Maurice brought Grant critical acclaim, true global fame would elude him for several more years. However, this breakthrough did bring him more opportunities and allowed him to work steadily throughout the rest of the 80s and the early 90s. Besides an assortment of TV projects, B-movies and period pieces, Grant also landed roles in well-regarded high-profile films like the Roman Polanski erotic thriller Bitter Moon (1992) and the Ivory-Merchant masterpiece The Remains of the Day (1993). But nothing seemed to solidify his position as a star, even though Grant was very fond of the films he made at the time. He even called The Remains of the Day the best film he had ever made during a 2002 radio interview. It was not until 1994 when his fate would change forever, with the release of Four Weddings and a Funeral.
A CAREER-DEFINING MOMENT
In 1994, Grant – now in his thirties – was cast as Charles, the charmingly awkward Englishman at the centre of Four Weddings and a Funeral. Directed by Mike Newell and written by Richard Curtis, the film was a quintessential British rom- com that told the story of a group of friends navigating the ups and downs of love and friendship, all set against the backdrop of multiple weddings and one funeral.
The film’s success was nothing short of spectacular. Made on a relatively modest budget of US$4.4 million, Four Weddings and a Funeral became an international sensation, grossing over US$245 million worldwide and earning Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Ironically, while Grant won the Best Actor award at the BAFTA Film Awards and the Golden Globes for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for his performance, he became the only actor to not receive an Oscar nomination for the same role.
Grant’s performance was universally praised, with critics lauding his portrayal of the bumbling yet endearing Charles. Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert noted that Grant “has been in a lot of movies, but this may be the one that makes him finally familiar to American audiences. He has a self-deprecating manner, a kind of endearing awkwardness, that makes you understand why a woman might like him.” Reelviews’ James Berardinelli also gave the movie and Grant high praise. He called Four Weddings and a Funeral “two hours of solid movie magic” and praised that Grant was “truly a case of perfect casting, as there is no scene, whether comic or serious, that Grant is incapable of carrying off.”
Grant’s effortless charm, comedic timing and ability to portray vulnerability made him an instant heartthrob. Four Weddings and a Funeral was a defining moment in Grant’s career – a turning point that catapulted him into global fame. Almost overnight, he became the poster boy for the rom-com genre, a role that he would both relish and wrestle with for much of his career.
THE ROM-COM KING AND A SCANDAL
Following the success of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Grant found himself in high demand. The mid-90s saw him star in a string of comedies that cemented his status as one of the genre’s leading man. For example, in the splendid Australian sex comedy drama Sirens (1994), Grant again played a variation of the bumbling ingenue – this time, a shy Anglican clergyman sent to look in on and persuade a notoriously bohemian painter (played by Sam Neill) to withdraw a potentially scandalous painting from an upcoming exhibition. Instead, the clergyman finds himself increasingly seduced by the philosophies of the painter and finds his attitudes being swayed. The role of the shy and fumbling clergyman was tailor-made for Grant, and Ebert noted that Grant was “able to project his unease with great conviction”, and he is “an actor who specialises in propriety under fire.” Berardinelli simply called Grant “excellent.”
Another well-received performance of similar ilk came in the 1995 historical comedy The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain, where Grant played a cartographer sent to measure a “mountain” in a small village in Wales that actually does not quite qualify to be a mountain. Ebert noted that Grant gave, what is by now, a patented performance as “another of his self-effacing, shy, stuttering, apologetic and hapless chaps who bumble through somehow.” Similarly, San Francisco Chronicle’s Peter Stack called Grant “always an agreeable screen presence.”
However, just as Grant’s professional life was soaring, his personal life became the subject of intense public scrutiny. This was due to a highly publicised scandal in 1995 that occurred just as Grant was promoting his first major Hollywood film, the rom-com Nine Months. Grant was arrested in Los Angeles for soliciting sex from a prostitute during a police vice operation. He pleaded no contest and was fined. He was also placed on two years’ summary probation, and was ordered to complete an AIDS education programme.
The arrest threatened to derail Grant’s burgeoning career as it occurred about two weeks before the release of Nine Months, which he was scheduled to promote on several American TV shows. In fact, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno had him booked for the same week he was arrested. The tabloid frenzy that followed was relentless, and many wondered if the actor’s image as a charming, gentlemanly figure would survive. The interview with Leno became highly anticipated and closely watched. Indeed, Grant’s interview with Leno saw the episode’s ratings soar through the roof.
To his credit, Grant handled the situation with remarkable candour. In a move that surprised many, he immediately took responsibility for his actions during the interview. When Leno asked him, “What the hell were you thinking?”, Grant simply answered, “I think you know in life what’s a good thing to do and what’s a bad thing, and I did a bad thing. And there you have it.” Grant’s candour did not change as he appeared on several other talk shows, including Larry King Live, to apologise and discuss the incident. In his own words: “I don’t have excuses.” His frankness and willingness to confront the scandal head-on helped to mitigate some of the damage, and his career, though momentarily stalled, eventually rebounded. Yet strangely, the negative publicity may have helped the film. While Nine Months was not well- received critically, it earned over US$138 million worldwide and was a sizeable hit.
Despite the scandal, Grant maintained his work ethic, and continued to deliver memorable performances in his remaining projects before he took a two-and-a-half-year break. These projects included the US$134 million grossing, multiple-Oscar nominated and winning (Best Actress for Emma Thompson) Sense and Sensibility (1995); double- Oscar winning period drama Restoration (1995); and the medical thriller Extreme Measures (1996), which was the first project undertaken by Grant and his then-girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley’s production house Simian Films (so- named because Hurley claimed Grant looked like an ape).
HIATUS AND RETURN
The scandal marked a turning point in Grant’s relationship with fame. He became more reticent in his dealings with the press and developed a somewhat contentious relationship with the tabloid media, against which he later battled in court on several occasions due to privacy invasion and libel issues. For example, in 1996, Grant won substantial damages from News (UK) Ltd over what his lawyers called a “highly defamatory” article published in the later defunct Today in January 1995. The article had falsely claimed that Grant verbally abused a young extra with a “foul-mouthed tongue lashing” on the set of The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain.
Grant’s self-imposed two-and-a-half-year hiatus from acting between 1996-1999 came as he wanted to escape from the intense media limelight on him. Funnily enough, during this period, Grant was accidentally sent a script for the hit Tom Cruise sports rom-com Jerry Maguire (1996). When he called his agent to ask why he had been sent such a good script compared to other movies he had done, his agent admitted it was intended for Tom Cruise.
In 1999, Grant made his comeback with the rom-com blockbuster Notting Hill, in which he starred opposite superstar Julia Roberts. The film, written by Four Weddings screenwriter Richard Curtis, followed the unlikely romance between a humble London bookstore owner (played by Grant) and a famous American actress (played by Roberts). Notting Hill was a massive hit, grossing over US$364 million worldwide. It remains Grant’s biggest hit to date. His portrayal of the self-deprecating, slightly neurotic, but deeply romantic Englishman was typical Grant, but it mostly resonated with audiences and critics alike, even though some critics did begin to bemoan Grant’s unchanging screen persona, with Ebert calling it “less a manner, more of a mannerism.” Notting Hill won Grant another Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical.
Despite the slight critical misgivings, the big projects and hits kept rolling in for Grant. He was part of the 2000 Woody Allen ensemble piece Small Time Crooks, while his next big hit duly arrived in 2001 with Bridget Jones’s Diary, an adaptation of Helen Fielding’s best-selling novel. Grant’s turn as Daniel Cleaver, the rakish, womanising boss of the titular character (played by Renée Zellweger), allowed him to flex his comedic muscles in a slightly different way.
While still charming, Cleaver was far from the lovable lead Grant had played in previous films, being more of a caddish rogue than a bumbling freshman. Even as Ebert admitted that “the first time Hugh Grant appeared on screen, I chuckled for no good reason at all,” he also that while Grant can “play a male Bridget Jones (as he did in Notting Hill), but he’s better as a cad.” Berardinelli too felt that Grant is “at home in the role.” The role of Cleaver marked a shift in Grant’s career, as he began to embrace more morally ambiguous characters. It certainly helped that Bridget Jones’s Diary was a big hit, earning over US$334 million worldwide.
With the success of Bridget Jones’s Diary ringing in his ears, Grant embarked on a streak of rom-com making that resulted in a string of hits over the decade. About a Boy (2002), which saw Grant play another caddish and permanently unemployed, but likeable bachelor who learns to grow up after forming an unlikely bond with a young boy, was a well- received US$130 million hit, which also earned Grant a third Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical. Grant’s pairing with Sandra Bullock in Two Weeks Notice (also 2002) again saw him play a variation of the loveable cad to great effect – the rom-com brought in close to US$200 million in box office takings. Interestingly, Grant has named Renée Zellweger and Bullock as his two favourite female co-stars.
By the time the saccharine-sweet rom-com Love Actually was released in 2003, Grant was firmly established as the genre’s icon. In the ensemble film, written (again) and directed by Richard Curtis, Grant played the British Prime Minister, who falls for a member of his household staff. “Oh no, that is so inconvenient,” Grant’s character lamented to himself as he realised he has fallen in love at first sight. His memorable dance scene to the Pointer Sisters’ song Jump also became another of the film’s most iconic moments. Yet, Grant admitted he detested the scene, saying, “I dreaded the dance scene in Love Actually more than having my teeth extracted.”
Indeed, Grant’s performance in Love Actually was a textbook rom-com tour-de-force. As Ebert expertly observed, “Little by little, a movie at a time, Grant has flowered into an absolutely splendid romantic comedian…He has that Cary Grantish ability to seem bemused by his own charm, and so much self- confidence that he plays the British Prime Minister as if he took the role to be a good sport.” Love Actually took in over US$250 million in the global box office.
Grant then reprised his role as Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), the sequel to the beloved Bridget Jones’s Diary, to almost guaranteed success. The film grossed over US$265 million worldwide, even though it did not strike a chord as much as the original did. His pairing with Drew Barrymore in the 2007 rom-com Music and Lyrics was also a respectable success, taking in over US$145 million worldwide.
However, despite these successes, Grant found himself increasingly typecast. He was always the go-to actor for charming, and sometimes bumbling or caddish romantic leads; and while these roles had made him a star, they also began to feel limiting. Indeed, Grant had begun to express frustration with the roles he was being offered, saying, “The reason I turn down 99% of a hundred, I mean a thousand, scripts is because romantic comedies are often very romantic but seldom very funny.”
The end of his reign as King of the Rom-Coms ironically came sooner than expected with the abysmal Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009), a highly anticipated pairing with generational feminist icon Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex and the City fame. While the movie producers were probably salivating at the prospect of pairing Grant with Parker, the end-product turned out to be a lot more dull than inspired. Critics dumped scathing reviews on the film, and Did You Hear About the Morgans? became Grant’s first rom-com flop in a long time, taking in a mere US$85 million from a US$58 million budget.
REINVENTION
Did You Hear About the Morgans? effectively spelled the end of Grant’s time as a leading man. However, it had less to do with Grant rejecting roles than Hollywood rejecting him. As Grant recalled, “At that point, it wasn’t me giving up Hollywood. Hollywood gave me up because I made such a massive turkey with that film with Sarah Jessica Parker. Whether I wanted to or not after that, the days of being a very well-paid leading man were suddenly gone overnight. It was slightly embarrassing but it left life free for other things.”
The lack of roles hit Grant hard as he was practically absent from the screen for three years until he reappeared in 2012’s science fiction epic Cloud Atlas. Cloud Atlas marked a key turning point in Grant’s career. In this ambitious, genre-defying film, Grant played multiple roles, including a bloodthirsty cannibal. For an actor best known for playing lovable, slightly bumbling characters, it was a startling departure.
While Cloud Atlas received mixed reviews, Grant’s performances were widely praised for their versatility and fearlessness. It marked the beginning of a new phase in his career, where he was willing to take on more experimental and darker material. Grant has credited Cloud Atlas with putting his career back on track. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he admitted that before starring in the 2012 film from the Wachowski siblings, his career had hit a wall. He spoke about how Cloud Atlas reinvigorated his love of character acting, especially given the number of characters he got to transform into for the film.
Grant’s reinvention as a character actor duly began with his brief scenery-chewing appearances bookending 2015’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. As RogerEbert.com’s Glenn Kenny noted,
“While it can’t be said that Hugh Grant saves the movie, his return to prominence in the last half hour, after a plot-seeding- walk-on earlier in the movie, peps things up considerably.”
Then, in 2016, Grant delivered one of the best performances of his career in Florence Foster Jenkins. Playing the devoted yet deeply flawed husband of Meryl Streep’s tone-deaf opera singer protagonist, Grant showcased a maturity and complexity that had not always been present in his earlier work. His character, St. Clair Bayfield, was both charming and conflicted – loving, yet deceitful. It was a role that allowed Grant to tap into a more dramatic register while still using the comedic timing that had made him famous. Florence Foster Jenkins helped to earn Grant a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the BAFTAs and another Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy nomination at the Golden Globes.
This trend continued with Paddington 2 (2017), where Grant gloriously played Phoenix Buchanan, a washed-up actor turned villain. The film, a beloved family-friendly sequel, showcased Grant’s impeccable comic timing and willingness to embrace self-parody. His performance as the hammy, egotistical Buchanan was a standout in the film, and critics were universal in their praise of Grant’s performance, especially noting his by-now complete transformation from rom-com icon to character actor. This can be best summed up by RogerEbert.com’s Christy Lemire, who commented, “Hugh Grant wallows flamboyantly in this character’s delusional theatricality. The increasing villainy of the ‘90s rom-com darling, all the way through the Bridget Jones movies and culminating here, is truly a joy to behold. Outwardly charming but inwardly devious, Phoenix Buchanan is the role Grant was destined to play.” Paddington 2 reminded audiences that Grant was more than just a romantic lead – he was a brilliant comedic actor with a wide range of talents.
It also earned Grant his second successive Best Supporting Actor nomination at the BAFTAs. The film was also a major box office hit, taking in over US$227 million worldwide.
AGEING GRACEFULLY IN HOLLYWOOD
Grant’s transformation from a one-dimensional rom-com lead to a multi-faceted thespian continued apace with the 2018 Amazon Prime TV Series A Very English Scandal – Grant’s first serious foray back into TV after he became famous. In this three-part mini-series, Grant plays Jeremy Thorpe, a powerful MP and a closeted homosexual, who develops a relationship with Norman Scott (played by Ben Whishaw), a person at the other end of the socioeconomic ladder. When the two split, Scott becomes the secret for Thorpe that would not go away, so Thorpe tries to have Scott murdered.
Based on a true story – one of UK’s most shocking political scandals, Grant gave a remarkable performance that hinted at the struggles and compulsions of the actual Thorpe. This was a man who would rather be dead than outed, where his reputation and political career were more important than anything else. Yet, Grant found a way to make his character engaging, rather than just villainy. It was quite an acting accomplishment, and was duly recognised with Best TV Actor nominations at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes.
Grant next showcased his acting chops when he reteamed with Guy Ritchie for the 2018 crime action comedy and US$115 million hit The Gentlemen. Playing a conniving, unscrupulous private detective who tries to blackmail everyone in his circle with a screenplay he has written, Grant gives an extraordinary performance that tied the entire movie together. It was riveting and funny, yet nuanced at the same time.
Going into the 2020s, Grant’s work as a character actor saw him continue to give solid performances that were well- received by critics. His role as a seemingly perfect husband whose hidden secrets unravel in a high-stakes thriller about deception and betrayal in the HBO limited series The Undoing (2020), opposite Nicole Kidman, garnered widespread acclaim, with RogerEbert.com’s Brian Tallerico opining that Grant “may actually walk away with the series- best performance.” The role produced another well-earned Golden Globe Best TV Actor nomination for Grant.
Following The Undoing, Grant teamed up with Ritchie for the third time in Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023) and played the villain in the ensemble fantasy action-comedy Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (also 2023). While he delivered solid performances in these movies, they did not do well commercially, even though Dungeons & Dragons did take in over US$208 million globally (on a US$150 million budget). On a positive note, Grant also had a small supporting role as the Oompa-Loompa in Wonka, a prequel inspired by the Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The film was a massive US$632 million hit.
POLITICAL ACTIVISM
In recent years, Grant has taken on a new role off-screen: that of a political activist. A vocal critic of tabloid journalism, Grant became involved with Hacked Off, a campaign for stricter press regulation in the UK following the 2011 News of the World phone-hacking scandal.
Yet, even before the scandal broke, Grant has had his run- ins with the press. For example, in 2007, Grant accepted undisclosed damages from Associated Newspapers over claims made about his relationships with his former girlfriends in three separate tabloid articles published in the Daily Mail and The Mail in February 2007.
In April 2011, Grant published an article in the New Statesman titled “The Bugger, Bugged” about a conversation with Paul McMullan, a former journalist and paparazzo for News of the World. In unguarded comments which were secretly taped by Grant, McMullan alleged that editors at the Daily Mail and News of the World had ordered journalists to engage in illegal phone tapping and had done so with the full knowledge of senior British politicians.
McMullan also said that every British Prime Minister from Margaret Thatcher onwards had cultivated a close relationship with Rupert Murdoch and his senior executives. He stressed the friendship between David Cameron and Rebekah Brooks, agreeing when asked that both of them must have been aware of illegal phone tapping, and asserting that Cameron’s inaction could be explained by self-interest.
Grant’s article attracted considerable interest, due to the revelatory content of the taped conversation. However, while the allegations continued to receive coverage in the broadsheets and similar media, it was only with the revelation that the voicemail of murdered Milly Dowler had been hacked, and evidence for her murder inquiry had been deleted, that the coverage turned from media interest to widespread public outrage.
Grant became a spokesman against Murdoch’s News Corporation and one of the leading voices in the campaign for greater press accountability. In interviews and public appearances, Grant spoke candidly about the toll that tabloid harassment had taken on his life as he recounted how his privacy had been repeatedly violated, and how the constant scrutiny had affected his relationships and personal well-being.
His involvement in the Hacked Off campaign brought him into direct conflict with the British press, but Grant has remained steadfast in his commitment to the cause, even testifying before the British Parliament about the invasive practices of certain media outlets, such as how tabloid journalists had hacked his phone, bribed his friends and followed him relentlessly.
Grant’s activism has earned him both praise and criticism. Some have lauded him for using his platform to champion a cause that affects not just celebrities, but ordinary people as well. Others, particularly those within the tabloid press, have accused him of trying to curb press freedom. But Grant has remained steadfast in his belief that privacy is a fundamental right, and that the media’s relentless pursuit of sensationalism often comes at the expense of human dignity.
Besides his activism for press regulation, Grant has also campaigned publicly based on his political beliefs. One of his most notable public interventions came during the 2019 UK general election, when Grant actively campaigned against the Conservative Party and urged voters to support opposition candidates in key constituencies to stop Brexit. His efforts were widely covered in the media, with Grant using his celebrity status to advocate for political reform and to highlight the dangers he saw in the Conservative government. This level of engagement in politics is somewhat unusual for a celebrity of Grant’s stature, but it speaks volumes about his deep convictions and desire to use his influence for change.
PERSONAL LIFE AND FATHERHOOD
Grant was a long-time bachelor until his marriage to TV producer Anna Eberstein in 2018. Before his marriage, Grant was more well-known for his high-profile 13-year relationship with British uberbabe Elizabeth Hurley.
The couple had met in 1987 while working on the Spanish movie Remando Al Viento a.k.a Rowing with the Wind (1988), where Grant played Lord Byron and Hurley was cast as Byron’s former lover Claire Clairmont. They started dating during filming and their relationship became the subject of much media attention in Britain. While the relationship remained sturdy throughout its course, it did have to weather storms, including the time when Grant gained international notoriety for his 1995 sex scandal and Hurley continued to stand by him. Eventually, the popular couple called it quits in May 2000, but they have remained close after their breakup. The pair still speaks on a regular basis, and Grant has likened their relationship to that of a “brother and sister.” Grant is also godfather to Hurley’s son Damian, born in 2002.
After Hurley, Grant dated journalist Jemima Khan for three years between 2004-2007. Amid their romance, Grant and Khan sparked engagement speculation, but never confirmed the rumours. After ending the relationship with Khan, Grant fathered five children with two women. In September 2011, he had a daughter with Hong Tinglan, whom Grant’s publicist described as a “fleeting affair.” However, Grant has been a steady parent to his daughter. In 2012, he even stated that Hong had been “badly treated” by the media, and that press intrusion had prevented him from attending the birth of his daughter. Hong reportedly obtained an injunction to allow him to visit them in peace.
In September 2012, Grant’s second child, a son, was born to Eberstein. Hong and Grant then reunited briefly and she gave birth to Grant’s third child, a son, in December 2012, before Grant fathered two more daughters with Eberstein in December 2015 and March 2018. He and Eberstein eventually married on 25 May 2018, and have remained married to this day.Fatherhood has changed Grant dramatically. In interviews, Grant has spoken candidly about how becoming a father later in life has brought him immense joy and a sense of purpose. It has changed his perspective on life, making him more grounded and less self-absorbed. This has translated to his public persona as well. While he used to be known for his sarcastic wit and sometimes cynical outlook, he now projects a more reflective, contented demeanour. He has also joked about how fatherhood had made him more patient, especially when dealing with the challenges of raising young children.
THE MOST CHILLING SIDE OF HUGH GRANT YET
As of 2024, Grant continues to display an astonishing propensity for reinvention, while still maintaining his trademark charm. The diversity of his projects in 2024 and 2025 bears witness to this. Grant has already appeared as the great Thurl Ravenscroft, a well-known voice-over artist, in the Netflix comedy drama Unfrosted: The Pop-Tarts Story (2024), but it is his next two films which are truly eye-catching.
In Heretic (2024), Grant takes on his first horror film as a seemingly charming and scholarly, yet ultimately diabolical villain who puts two young members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints through a horrific religious wringer as he severely tests their beliefs. Critics have been bowled over by Grant’s spectacular performance, with RogerEbert. com’s Tallerico calling it Grant’s “best work in years,” and that he is “having a blast delivering it.” Variety’s Peter Debruge called Grant “genteelly terrifying,” while SlashFilm’s Jacob Hall noted that we are “seeing sides of Grant we’ve never seen before as an actor, a previously untapped capacity for terror that lands all the harder because we watched severalfamiliar masks dissolve in slow motion before our very eyes.”
On the other hand, 2025 will see the return of Grant as Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, the fourth in the Bridget Jones series, after Grant declined to return in the previous sequel Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016) due to dissatisfaction with the film’s script and the character’s development. How will the caddish Cleaver re-enter into the narrative of Bridget Jones’ life after all this time away? We will find out in 2025!
@PRIME
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