Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
During a quick five days in Los Angeles to talk up his Amazon Prime Video original limited series A Very English Scandal, Hugh Grant chatted with members of the press at the Very English London Hotel. Grant says he was enjoying the short break from home life as he noted, “I have five small children. My life is total chaos.”
Grant credited director Stephen Frears for urging him to do both Florence Foster Jenkins – a role Grant didn’t think he was right for – and then telling Grant he had another project in mind for him, which was A Very English Scandal. The actor admitted he was snobby about doing television but “it was so good and the book was so black and comedic. And then there was Russell Davies (the screenwriter) and Frears and Whishaw. I loved the tone. It was dramatic and irreverent and slightly camp.” Even better? There’s some awards season buzz building around both Grant’s performance and the series as a whole with the 2019 Golden Globes fast approaching.
As talk turned to Grant’s recurring co-star Ben Whishaw —the two have worked together in Cloud Atlas, Paddington 2, and A Very English Scandal— Grant joked, “He has to die. I haven’t killed him yet, but I will.” Then more seriously, Grant raved, “He’s incredibly good! He keeps me up to the mark.” Grant credited the series producers for casting Whishaw, “the producers were very keen that Norman be played by a gay actor. Russell Davies is gay and I think one of the things he wanted to do was demonstrate how far we’ve come [since the scandal and 1979 trial].”
And what about the onscreen love scenes Grant and Whishaw performed as Jeremy Thorpe and Norman Scott? Grant was matter of fact when he explained, “Doing a gay love scene wasn’t more awkward than doing a straight one. After I kissed him, they didn’t yell cut and I didn’t know what to do, so I sort of licked his nipples.”
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As Grant did research to prepare to play Thorpe, he knew he didn’t want to do an imitation of the man. He watched videos of Thorpe on YouTube and noticed “how Thorpe focused on his lips and tongue when he spoke.” More research revealed “Thorpe’s narcissism. It was so extreme and that’s a tragedy as well. I definitely had sympathy for him even though he was a monster. I wonder how long he would have gone in prison with a guilty verdict. The ‘not guilty’ verdict was like the O.J. verdict – everyone knows you did it. Thorpe was never employable again in his life.”
What’s up next for Grant? He says one script is “a dark, murder-y project but it’s not finalized yet.” In the meantime, Grant shared what he’s watched recently.
“One of my children has taught me how to work the television properly. I watched The Crown, which was sublime, and Big Little Lies.”
Diane Gordon is an entertainment industry veteran who has done time on red carpets covering TV premieres, award shows and sundry events. She’s also worked in TV development, production and talent management. In addition to reporting, she also does social media hosting for the Paley Center for Media Los Angeles, where she wrangles talent and serves up photos and live tweets for fans to enjoy. You can follow Diane on Twitter and Instagram: @thesurfreport.
