Anyone who thinks Hugh Grant is a cheerful person has seen too much Notting Hill and not spoken to him in the last 20 years. At least that is the experience of many journalists who, in 1000 examples on the Internet, seem to be in a bad mood with Grants. In the Moviepilot interview he is a real gentlemen ‒ who hates humanity. Or at least that’s what he leads us to believe.
He chose the right background for his tongue-in-cheek misanthropy: his new film, the horror thriller Heretic from A24, has just been released in cinemas. There he plays the sinister Mr. Reed, who locks two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) in his house and forces them to play a bitter game.
Check out the trailer for Heretic here:
Heretic – Trailer (German) HD
Hugh Grant talks A24 horror films, villains and an ugly humanity
Our conversation with Hugh Grant focuses first on Hugh Grant’s career: he discusses his newfound love of evil characters, a Star Wars scene in Heretic and roles in the ’80s in which he sold champagne to the Nazis. But his tone is often surprisingly personal: Grant speaks openly about panic attacks during filming. And a shocking experience with his mother.
The interview was conducted jointly by Moviepilot, dpa and NDR. The questions were asked alternately.
Moviepilot/dpa/NDR: You stated in another interview that you really like your Heretic character Mr. Reed. He’s a psychopath. What do you like about the role? Did you find any similarities to yourself?
Hugh Grant: I like to kill. No idea why.
You also said in a second interview that you don’t like horror films. Then why are you starring in one? Does this mean you’ll never watch Heretic?
I’ve already seen the film. That’s not the same. I’m too scared to watch horror movies, but I didn’t mind being in one. My fear is very specific. I’m afraid of the devil, of demonic possession. I can’t watch all the films about this topic. I don’t mind slashing and stuff like that.
You recently revealed on the Smartless podcast that when making films you look for the script within the script. What was that Heretic?
I can’t explain the whole thing. It’s as long as the actual script. I write explanations of what the characters are thinking and feeling throughout the entire margin of my script. For Mr. Reed there are even two areas: the things he tells his two victims and what the monster inside thinks. But it’s very complicated. I wanted Mr. Reed to never lie. And we did that. He never lies. His wife, the blueberry cake, it’s all there.
In the film, the two young women are given the choice of two doors that say “belief” and “unbelief.” Which would you have chosen?
Me as Hugh? I have my whole life”Disbelief” chosen. But the older and more desperate I get, the more I doubt it. Maybe I need more comfort. Or mom and dad can help.
In one scene you draw a line of tradition between Jesus Christ and Jar Jar Binks. How did the scene come about?
Jar Jar was already in the original script. But I had the idea to imitate him.
Many audience members laughed at Heretic’s press screening. Me too, just to digest the frightening scenes. How important is humor in dealing with difficult situations?
That’s not the purpose of humor in Heretic. I was more worried that Mr. Reed would get too dry. I don’t know if this exists in Germany, but in Great Britain I often have the type “fun professor” encountered. The type who wants to make jokes and make innuendos that young people understand. Star Wars, for example. But he also makes small mistakes. Radiohead, for example, is already too old for the two young women. He gave these types of speeches for a long time. And he got good reactions to some of his jokes. About the “Meow” many people laughed. That’s why he keeps making the joke. He uses humor to be the cool lecturer. So that girls who think he is special and iconoclastic follow him.
But I agree, humor is often used in films to cope with pain. That’s why Richard Curtis’ films are so popular. They’re all actually quite painful.
There you don’t laugh at people, but with people. Curtis’ films are very humane.
Yes, he likes people. Such a weirdo.
I was thinking about your roles in Curtis’ films, where you’re very charming. I think Mr. Reed is charming too. Do you agree?
No, not quite. He thinks he’s charming. But on the whole he is scary to other people. Maybe not right away. But within an hour or so.
You’ve played a lot of villains recently, for example in Dungeons & Dragons or The Gentlemen. What do you enjoy about portraying these quirky types of villains?
I don’t know, I’m not the only actor who likes villains. But most of the time, such roles simply offer more. And perhaps the need goes deeper. We humans are by nature nasty, dark, greedy, brutal, jealous, unattractive, vain and narcissistic, I’m afraid. And actors are particularly attracted to what goes deepest. Straight to the DNA roots. On the other hand, niceness is more something learned, I suspect. The basis for this observation are my children, who do not have a natural niceness.
Do you have a favorite villain in film history?
I have a lot. But I didn’t use one for my Heretic role. It’s not a homage.
Your mother wanted you to be archbishop. How well do you know the Bible?
Not particularly good. You can test me.
How did you prepare for the film, which also revolves around the history of different religions?
All the religious stuff was done by Scott [Beck] and Bryan [Woods] researched who wrote and directed the film. They’re both so strange. They spent about six years of their lives doing nothing but reading just about every religious book and text. And the atheists too, to find Mr. Reed’s arguments. I trusted them there. It’s the only screenplay I’ve ever seen that lists a long list of books it’s based on on the last page. I was so impressed. There are about 50 books, very intellectual literature. Or the Bible and the Koran. And they all read. In the meantime I thought: “Wow, do I have to do that too?” But then I researched more serial killers and cult leaders.
Yesterday at the premiere you wished the head of the distributor Plaion much success with the film. Why?
Well, it did quite well in the US and UK. And I hope that happens here too. The problem with Germany is that you watch everything in dubbed versions. But when you’ve worked your ass off on a movie, you want people to see the whole movie. Not half the movie.
Do you think there will be a strong reaction to the film from people who are very religious?
I’m not worried about that. At the beginning I thought: “Wow, people from the US Bible Belt are going to hate this!” But the Bible Belt apparently doesn’t mind. The Bible Belt buys movie tickets.
Before the Richard Curtis films like Notting Hill, would you have liked to have played more roles like Mr. Reed, who are more complex and morally dark?
Yes, I should have continued with them. I already had a few back then. In the 80s I specialized in mini-series villains. They all always had something to do with champagne, I don’t know why. I was constantly selling champagne to the Nazis or some other party. I did this about seven times. There was Charles Heidsieck – A life as intoxicating as champagne and The Champagne Dynasty. All classics. And I was good. Maybe not in the 80s, I was absolute trash then. But later. After Four Weddings and a Funeral, I made a film called A No-Nonsense Romance, which no one saw. I played a devious, twisted weirdo. Then there was Sensual Time with Robert Downey Jr. and Meg Ryan, where I played a vain guy named Finn. I should have continued that. But I haven’t.
A new Bridget Jones film is coming to cinemas soon. Are you looking forward to it?
Now, because the audience celebrated it like crazy in the test screenings. They love him.
In Heretic, Mr. Reed is visited by two Mormon women. For many people, being visited at the door by religious or business interest groups is a common experience. What was your strangest experience opening the door to strangers?
My mother once opened the door for a stranger. He showed her his penis. I was still a child then. The guy ran away. Our housekeeper, a great woman called Mrs. Tree, looked after my mother and made her a lovely cup of tea. Then she said to her: “They’re ugly things, even at the best of times.”
Heretic is a lot about control. Would you describe yourself as a control freak? How do you prepare for the roles?
I prepare for my role with extreme effort, over months. Hours and hours, every day. And I can’t even tell you if it makes the performance better or if it’s just a desperate attempt to control my anxiety. Maybe both.
Afraid of what?
Fear of performance. Well, it’s more like fear of fear. I’ve been getting panic attacks while filming for 25 years, usually once or twice per film. It’s very humiliating. And as soon as I’m offered a role, I worry about when the panic attack will come. Ridiculous.
You recently expressed your admiration for A24. Which of the indie studio’s films do you like the most?
Midsommar. And Heretic.
Heretic has been running in German cinemas since December 26, 2024.