For about a decade, Hugh Grant was everywhere. The charming Brit was the crown prince of
romcoms and practically inescapable at the movies. Then, well, he wasn't around much
anymore. What happened?
That whole sex scandal thing
Back before a sex tape was a representation of fame and success, sex scandals were, well,
scandalous. And Hugh Grant was embroiled in a particularly infamous one. In 1995, the
affable actor was busted for hooking up with a prostitute named Divine Brown in his car.
He looked particularly sheepish in his mugshot. Oh, and did we mention he was dating actress
Elizabeth Hurley at the time? Grant released a statement telling the press, "Last night
I did something completely insane. I have hurt people I love and embarrassed people
I work with. For both things I am more sorry than I can ever possibly say."
Grant got off easy in more ways than one. He escaped the potential six months of jail
time and instead paid a $1,000 fine and participated in an AIDS education program. He also faced
some comeuppance from Jay Leno on The Tonight Show:
"What the hell were you thinking?"
(audience laughing)
Grant was forthcoming about his obvious mistake, however:
"I think you know in life, uh, pretty much, what's a good thing to do and what's a bad
thing, and um, I did a bad thing. And there you have it."
He's over romcoms
The romantic comedy market has begun to dry up in recent years, and Grant's most recent
effort in the genre didn't fare so well. Did You Hear About The Morgans? was a critical
and box office bomb, netting only half of its $58 million budget in ticket sales.
It doesn't sound like it bugs Grant too much, though, because he's tired of the genre. Grant
admitted to The Telegraph that he's not in a lot of movies anymore because he just doesn't
feel like doing them.
His other films aren't moneymakers, either
Cloud Atlas had very lofty expectations; A stellar cast featuring Grant, Tom Hanks, Halle
Berry, and Susan Sarandon, a time-warping plot, lots of double-casting, and plenty of
attempts at depth and touching moments. It also had a $102 million budget. Unfortunately,
the film only netted about $27 million in ticket sales.
Similarly, the action-packed The Man From U.N.C.L.E. cost $75 million to produce but
only grossed $45 million. Of course these bombs aren’t Grant’s fault, but combined
with his spotty track record, casting directors and producers may see him as the kiss of death.
He can't stop having kids
Grant has had four love children in the last four years, and at one point, two of his girlfriends
were pregnant at the same time. In December of 2015, the London lothario fathered his
fourth child, a daughter, with Swedish television producer Anna Eberstein. Eberstein is also
the mother of his son, John, who was born in 2012. Grant's other two tykes, Tabitha
and Felix were birthed by restaurant hostess Tinglan Hong. We suspect Grant may be having
a hard time squeezing movies in between all that unexpected baby making:
"I can't pretend it wasn't a little bit of a surprise, but it's a very nice surprise."
He's almost too handsome
Grant's breakout role was in Four Weddings and a Funeral, and he almost didn't get the
part because he was just too attractive. Screenwriter Richard Curtis actually voted against Grant
taking the lead role in the film, stating, "The absolutely key thing for that film when
I was writing it was that the person who was playing the lead would not be good looking."
Curtis was overruled by the film’s director and producer, and the rest is history.
And they had “not good looking” under their nose the whole time...
He's a bit too posh
Grant revealed on The Graham Norton Show that his appearance wasn’t the only obstacle
when auditioning for Four Weddings and a Funeral. After Norton said the part was written for
Grant, the actor scoffed, recalling that he had to audition for an unwilling audience:
"They were looking for someone kind of more middle of the road, and I think I looked really
sort of hoity-toity, up my own ass, posh."
What's next?
It looks like a comeback is in order for Grant. The charmer stars along Meryl Streep in Florence
Foster Jenkins, which has already garnered critical acclaim ahead of its release in August
of 2016. If he can keep his nose clean, chances are he can nab whatever roles he wants.
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