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Hugh Grant Says it's 'Such a Relief' to Not Play Nice Guys Anymore

By Mae Abdulbaki | Celebrity | January 15, 2020 |

By Mae Abdulbaki | Celebrity | January 15, 2020 |


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A lot of Hugh Grant’s career has been spent playing romantic leads. Four Weddings and a Funeral, Music and Lyrics with Drew Barry Barrymore (one of my personal go-to romcoms), Sense and Sensibility and, the most famous of all, 2003’s beloved Love, Actually. But, the times have changed and Grant’s moved on from his days of love interest and onto more dramatic roles. And honestly, Grant’s completely OK with leaving his romantic roles in the past. A pity.

During HBO’s panel at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour (via TV Guide), where Grant was there to promote his latest dramatic series alongside Nicole Kidman, called The Undoing, the actor admitted that he’d much rather play nastier characters. Why? It seems that he relates more to their characterizations than that of the men he’s played in romcoms.

“Christ, it’s such a relief [to play bad guys]. I can’t tell you. Richard Curtis, who wrote all of those romantic comedies did a lot of — it always used to make him laugh that people thought I was that nice, public, Englishman, because he knew that exactly the reverse was true. It’s very nice to be closer to home.”


It’s not hard to understand why Hugh Grant likes playing darker characters, though it seems tragic that actors, like Matthew McConaughey, who used to do so many romantic comedies are only taken seriously when they take on more dramatic roles. Alas.

HBO’s The Undoing, the six-episode limited series, is scheduled to premiere later this spring.



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