Hugh Grant Reveals Why He Passed on Big Budget Films in His Career; Believed They Were Not Enough
Hugh Grant is sharing his thoughts on being selective in his choice of roles in movies. The Hollywood star, speaking with Vanity Fair, disclosed that he has turned down numerous big-budget films throughout his career because he felt they were lacking in some way. He mentioned that all the roles he passed on came from major production studios, but he didn’t feel a connection and had to decline.
During his interview with the media outlet, the Notting Hill actor said, “I’ve turned down a few that I thought were lacking in quality or independence allowed to the filmmakers—you felt like a big corporation [was] breathing down the neck of these filmmakers, and I don’t want to make that decision.”
He continued, “I asked them directly. I questioned the directors. You can tell quite early on, since you might have a few ideas about the part before you’ve signed up—you suggest things, and you can tell if there’s a lot of pushback from noncreative executives.”
Although Grant has no regrets about turning down most of the films, he does regret rejecting Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Theives, which he believes was a good movie. Despite its box office success, it didn’t meet the production company’s expectations for launching a franchise based on its success.
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Talking about the movie that failed to resonate with audiences, the Four Weddings and a Funeral star commented, “Why didn’t anyone do market research before?” He added, “I think that’s what went wrong: Basically, people just thought, I don’t want to see a film about this game. Why had no one asked the public?”
On the professional front, the 64-year-old actor is set to reprise his role as Daniel Cleaver in the fourth Bridget Jones film, Mad About the Boy. Initially hesitant to return to the franchise, Grant changed his mind after reading the script. He expressed, “It’s absolutely the best [Bridget Jones book], and I think it’s very funny and very, very moving. I’m not in a lot; I did a week’s work, that’s it… But when you see the film, you’ll be very moved.”
The fourth Bridget Jones movie is scheduled to hit theaters on February 14, 2025.
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