MR. HUGH GRANT IS HERE TONIGHT, THERE IS HE.
LOOK AT YOU.
>> LOOK AT YOU.
>> James: LOOK AT YOU.
NOW CAN I-- I LITTLE CHAP.
YOU, NOW I WANT YOU TO BE HONEST.
GIVE ME THE HONEST ANSWER, WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND
YOU SEE YOUR SCHEDULE AND IT SAYS AT THE END OF THE DAY
YOU'VE GOT TO DO AN AMERICAN TALK SHOW ON ZOOM, HONESTLY,
HONESTLY WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR HEAD.
ARE YOU LIKE OH, WHY DID I AGREE TO DO THIS?
>> DO YOU KNOW WHAT, JAMES, I MR. SO LUCKY TO DO THE JOB I DO,
AND I FEEL NOTHING BUT GRATITUDE FOR ANY ATTENTION I GET.
I THINK THAT'S THE CORRECT ANSWER, ISN'T IT?
YEAH, IT'S A NIGHTMARE. MY CHILDREN HAVE NEVER BEEN ASLEEP
IN THEIR EIGHT YEARS OF EXISTENCE, SO THAT IS ALL
HAPPENING UPSTAIRS.
MY WIFE IS COMMITTING SUICIDE DOWNSTAIRS.
AND-- .
>> James: AND YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE DOING A TALK SHOW ON
ZOOM, WHAT COULDN'T BE BETTER.
IS YOUR LIFE NOW, IT MUST BE FILLED WITH GAMES AND CARTOONS
AND KIDS MUSIC.
WHAT IS HUGH GRANT'S TOLERANCE FOR BABY SHARK RINGING OUT
AROUND THE HOUSE?
>> IT IS ABOUT 43 SECONDS.
AND I HAVE A LITTLE FLAT AROUND THE CORNER.
I REALLY HAVE TO GO LEARN SOME LINES NOW.
BUT ACTUALLY IT SAUL RATHER A TOUCHING STORY IT SAY BIT LIKE,
THERE IS A KID STORY, I READ THEM CALLED MR. JUST SERVES
WHICH IS ABOUT A RABBIT WHO LIVES IN A BORROW AND HE IS AN
ELDERLY, GRUMPY RABBIT WHO LIKES EVERYTHING JUST PERFECT,
EVERYTHING JUST LOVELY.
AND THAT IS HOW HE LIKES HIS LIFE AND ONE DAY HE MEETS A
DUCK, DUCKLINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SEPARATED FROM THEIR MOTHER.
AND HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEM SO HE TAKES THEM INTO
HIS BORE ROE AND OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS THEY CREATE COMPLETE
CHAOS AND TURN EVERYTHING UPSIDE DOWN AND IT IS A NIGHTMARE FOR
HIM.
BUT THEN THEIR MOTHER TIRNS UP AND HE GIVES THEM BACK AND WHEN
THEY'VE LEFT, HE IS REALLY SAD.
AND I CAN'T READ THE STORY WITHOUT CRYING BECAUSE THAT IS
THE STORY OF MY LIFE, I WAS MR. JUST SO, A HAD A PERFECT OF
EXISTENCE OF GOLF, WELL THARK IS IT REALLY, GOLF, AND THEN
SUDDENLY BANG, FIVE CHILDREN.
AND ACTUALLY IT'S REALLY NICE.
I CAN'T REMEMBER, HAVE YOU GOT CHILDREN NOW?
>> James: I DO, I HAVE THREE CHILDREN.
AND I THINK THEY ARE SORT OF MINE ARE 3, 6 AND 10 SO I THINK
THAT SOME OF THEM ARE SIMILAR AGE TO YOURS.
I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN.
>> LET'S GET THEM TOGETHER.
>> James: I WOULD LOVE NOTHING MORE, I REALLY WOULD, THAT WOULD
BE A JOY FOR ME.
NOW HUGH, YOU'VE HAD SUCH A LONG, SUCH A BRILLIANT CAREER.
AND I NEVER KNEW THIS, BUT I WAS REALLY INTERESTED THAT YOU
LEARNED ACTING TECHNIQUES FROM BOOKS THAT YOU WOULD READ.
IS THAT TRUE?
YOU CAN RATHER, WHAT BOOKS WERE THEY.
WERE THEY GENUINELY HELPFUL?
>> WELL, I WAS VERY INSECURE.
I NEVER REALLY MEANT TO BE AN ACTOR.
BUT, A LONG STORY, BUT I ENDED UP FOR SOME REASON IN THE
THEATER, IN NOTTINGHAM, YOU KNOW, IN A BUNCH OF PLAYS AND A
WHOLE SEASON.
AND EVERYONE ELSE WAS IN-- AND I HADN'T, AND I WAS INSECURE SO I
THOUGHT I BETTER READ UP ON HOW YOU ACT.
SO I BOUGHT SOME BOOKS, THERE WAS ONE CALLED ACTOR AND THE
MOVEMENTS, ANOTHER ONE FOR VOICE, AND THEY GAVE YOU
EXERCISES.
AND I USED TO GO INTO THE PARK IN NOTTINGHAM AND TRY TO DO
THESE EXERCISES.
CAN I REMEMBER ONE OF THEM SAID YOU MUST RUN BACK WAFERREDS OVER
SPACE-- BACKWARDS OVER SPACE FEELING THE AIR BEHIND YOU WHILE
YOU SAY HA, HA, HA, HA.
AND I REMEMBER DOING THAT, ABOUT HALF A DOZEN TIMES BEFORE I
REALIZED THERE WERE LOCAL NOTINGHAM KIDS WATCHING ME
SAYING THAT WANKER IS DOING IT AGAIN.
THE OTHER ONE YOU PROBABLY HAVE DONE YOURSELF, YOU KNOW, ALL
ABOUT HOW TO RELAX YOUR FACE, PREPARE YOUR FACE FOR ACTING AND
YOU HAD TO GET THE FACIAL MUSCLES GOING BY DOING EXERCISES
WHERE THEY SAID, SO AND ANOTHER ONE WAS-- SCRUNCHING UP, WISE
AND HAPPY.
WISE AND HAPPY, CRUNCHY NUTS, THAT IS IT, THAT IS IT, THAT IS
ME NOW THAT IS ABSOLUTELY THE MOST TRAINING I HAVE EVER HAD AS
AN ACTOR.
NOW HUGH, THERE WAS A POINT IN YOUR CAREER WHERE YOU HAD FIRED
YOUR AGENT, IS THIS TRUE, AND YOU WOULD PRETEND TO BE YOUR OWN
REPRESENTATIVE.
IS THAT TRUE?
HOW DID THAT WORK?
>> WELL, FIRE IS A STRONG WORD.
I JUST THOUGHT THAT I, I WAS NEVER VERY GOOD AT TAKING
ADVICE, NEVER VERY GOOD AT TAKING ADVICE, I THOUGHT THIS IS
NORCH SENSE.
I COULD SAVE A FORTUNE IF I JUST WAS MY OWN AGENT SO I INVENTED A
EABLGHT WHO WAS MY REP, HE WOULD SECRETARY REITLY MEET AND PEOPLE
WOULD EMAIL JAMES AND SAY COULD YOU GET THIS TO HUGH.
AND I WOULD TYPE BACK, YES, OF COURSE I WILL TRY TO GET IT TO
HIM AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, JAMES, AND IT WORKED PRETTY WELL FOR A
YEAR OR TWO AND I SAVERRED A FORTUNE.
BUT THERE WERE NIGHTS WHERE I HAD TOO MUCH TO DRINK AND I
WOULD SAY YES, I WOULD GET THE DRING AND SIGN HUGH AND THE
WHOLE RABBIT STARTED TO COME OUT OF THE BAG.
WHEN WAS THIS IN YOUR CAREER.
>> I SORT OF MORE OR LESS, I SORT OF HAD ENOUGH OF ACT OFFING
FOR A BILT AT THAT POINT.
I WAS DOING LOTS OF POLITICS INSTEAD.
BUT ANYWAY, NOW I'M BACK AND I HAVE A LOVE FOR IF.
>> James: DID YOU SAY YOU FELL OUT OF LOVE WITH ACTING, DO YOU
FEEL, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE YOUR CAREER NOW IS AS GREAT AS IT HAS
EVER BEEN.
I THINK YOUR CHOICES ARE BRILLIANT.
ARE YOU ENJOYING IT AS MUCH AS WE ARE?
>> YOU'RE VERY NICE TO SAY ALL OF THAT.
AND IT IS ODD TO ME BECAUSE I ALMOST DO ENJOY ACTING NOW.
IT'S BEEN SUCH A RELIEF TO NOT HAVE TO BE THE CHARMING LEADING
MAN.
I GAVE THAT MY BEST SHOT AND YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE FILMS I DID
LIKE THAT ARE LOVELY AND I LOVE THEM TOR BEING POPULAR.
AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THEM, GRATESFUL AGAIN BUT IT HAS BEEN
A LOVELY RELEASE NOW THAT RELIEF NOW THAT I AM ALLOWED TO BE
TWISTED, UGLY, WEIRD, MISSHAPEN.
>> James: NOW WE HAVE TO CON GRATED LATE YOU ON THE UNDOING
WHICH SAY BRILLIANT SHOW AND YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT IN IT.
I MEAN WHAT YOU ARE DOING IN THAT SHOW IS SO INCREDIBLE.
BUT I HEARD, THIS HORRIFIED ME THAT YOU WOULD READ REACTIONS ON
TWITTER, AS EPISODES AIRED, WHICH I WOULD RECOMMEND NOBODY
TO EVER DO.
WERE YOU HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU WERE READING?
>> YOU KNOW, UNLIKE THE FILL-- FILM I'M NOT ACCUSTOMED
TO DOING TELEVISION, ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT DOING TV NOW, THE
LAST TIME I DID IT WAS T WAS IN THE 80S, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SEE
HOW PEOPLE ARE REACTING IN REALTIME.
AD IT IS JUST FASCINATING TO IGNORE.
WHAT IS WEIRD IS I SCROLLED THROUGH ANYTHING POSITIVE OR
NICE SAID ABOUT ME OR THE SHOW AND GO STRAIGHT TO THE BAD
THINGS.
>> James: OF COURSE.
>> AND DWELL ON IT.
>> James: AND THERE WAS SO MUCH TALK, THERE IS A MASSIVE
TALK, AND RIGHTLY SO, I THINK, ABOUT YOU GETTING AN EMMY
NOMINATION FOR THIS PERFORMANCE.
WHICH I THINK YOU ABSOLUTELY RICHLY DESERVE.
DO YOU GET EXCITED FOR THAT SORT OF ACCLAIM AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT?
>> I THINK THE CORRECT ANSWER IS NOT REALLY, JUST HONESTLY DOING
THE PROJECT AND WORKING WITH THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE.
YEAH, I MEAN YOU LOVE IT YOU LOVE IT AND I THINK, I REMEMBER
IN THE THEATER, BACK IN NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE WE WERE
TOLD WHEN WE DID THE CURTAIN CALL AT THE END, THAT THE FACE
TO MAKE WAS SURPRISED BUT DELIGHTED.
TAKING YOUR BOW, OH, OH, O, I'M DRIET DELIGHTED.
THAT IS THE FACE I'M TRYING TO MAKE NOW.
>> James: AND MAKE IT WELL YOU DO.