Film news: Heretic star Hugh Grant ‘will never be as fond of a film as I am of Paddington 2’
Former rom-com heartthrob turned Heretic horror star Hugh Grant has revealed Paddington 2 is his favourite piece of work.
Grant made a name for himself in some of the most celebrated romantic comedies in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
From Notting Hill to Love Actually, Grant appeared to have become a typecast thespian.
However, a sinister star turn in the 2018 television drama A Very English Scandal kicked off Grant’s renaissance.
The next stage in Grant’s remarkable acting showcase is flexing his Horror chops in the upcoming Heretic and in promoting the film the British actor revealed his love for one of his best roles.
“I probably will never be as fond of a film as I am of Paddington 2,” Grant told Letterboxd. “Or admire it, so I mean, It’s just beautifully made and, it’s very satisfying.
“Especially since it’s so unexpected.”
Grant recalled a Golden Globes experience whereupon he was announced as a star of Paddington 2, which “got titters of the wrong kind in the audience, who obviously thought, ‘poor chap is that what he’s reduced to now?’
“A kid’s film sequence?
“So it’s satisfying that it’s turned out to be the best-reviewed film on Rotten Tomatoes.”
Grant is remarkable as Phoenix Buchanan
Paddington 2 is one of the most highly-acclaimed sequels in cinema.
Director Paul King’s joyous masterpiece is a shining example of creators dedicated to joyous storytelling.
When watching Paddington 2 it’s clear to see that all involved had the time of their lives making it and Grant is no exception.
As the villainous, egotistical thespian Phoenix Buchanan, Grant fizzes on screen.
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Career-best performance
Giddy, witty and dastardly, Grant puts in a career-best performance in a film described by the Wall Street Journal as “the Godfather Part II of Peruvian bear movies, a sequel that surpasses the superb original.”
Grant’s performance is signed off by a mid-credits prison-bound musical number which has stoked a love of films from a bygone era for the Briton.
“I just had to work and work and work,” Grant said of his prep for the song and dance number. “Go to a film studio and try and learn the steps.
“But the older I get the more I love song and dance in films and the more I watch, you know, Fred Astaire films, things like that.
“And I just think, what’s the point of any other kind of film? They're so exquisite.
“And it’s so sad that they’re not– it’s not fashionable anymore, the great Hollywood musicals. Bring them back. I’d love to be in one.”
Heretic now in cinemas
Reprising his role as Daniel Cleaver in the next instalment of the Bridget Jones films is all Grant has to come after Heretic, his bow in horror, out now in UK cinemas.
In Heretic, from writer/director pairing Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, Grant stars as Mr. Reed, who lures two young religious women into a twisted game of cat and mouse.
Sharing the UK cinema screens with Heretic is the follow-up to Paddington 2, Paddington in Peru.
The third film in the beloved bear’s cinematic stories sees him return to his native Peru with the Brown family, in search of Aunt Lucy.
Dougal Wilson directs from a screenplay by Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont.
