Hugh Grant explains why he was skeptical about starring in a big-budget film.
In a Vanity Fair In his profile published Wednesday, the actor reflected on working more in independent film and television and why he turned down roles in major Hollywood films.
“I turned down some because I thought they weren't high enough quality or didn't allow the directors independence: you felt like a big company. [was] “I'm breathing down the necks of these directors and I don't want to make this decision,” he said.
As for how he could figure it out, Grant explained, “I asked him bluntly. I interviewed the directors. You can figure it out pretty early on, since you might have some ideas about the part before you sign on: you suggest things and you can tell if there's a lot of resistance from non-creative executives.”
An exception was the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves which Grant called “a really good movie.” But as for the film's box office performance (the film exceeded expectations at the time but not enough to launch a new film franchise for Paramount and eOne), he said that remains the “biggest mystery.”
“Why didn't anyone do market research before?” he said. “I think that's what went wrong: Basically, people just thought, I don't want to see a movie about this game. Why didn't anyone ask the public?”
As for another notable film from the studio, Grant is also set to reprise his role as Daniel Cleaver in the fourth Bridget Jones film. Crazy about the boy. But before signing on, Grant said he wasn't initially “crazy” about what they had in store for his character in the script. The actor had previously turned down the chance to star in the 2016 film Bridget Jones's Baby: “I just couldn't fit my character in, it just didn't belong to me, so I stepped aside.”
He did, however, connect with the story of the fourth film. “I loved the script, it made me cry, and I wanted to help with that,” he said. “But there's actually no part for Daniel Cleaver. They wanted him there, and in the end, they did something that I wasn't crazy about.”
To rectify his dissatisfaction with his part, Grant said he wrote a few scenes that the directors liked enough to include in the story. “It's absolutely the best [Bridget Jones book]and I think it's very funny and very, very touching. I'm not there much, I did a week of work, that's all… But when you see the film, you'll be very moved.”
Grant will appear in the film alongside Renée Zellweger, Emma Thompson, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Leo Woodall.