Outside of the UK, Hugh Grant is seen as something of the "quintessential Englishman." Heck, within the UK, he sort of is, too. This pretty much stems from the fact that, early in his career, he was consistently typecast as witty, bumbling, floppy-haired romantics, desperate to find love. Indeed, the role that brought him to worldwide attention was that of Charles in Richard Curtis' critically-acclaimed Four Weddings in A Funeral, and the success of that movie meant that people were desperate for more Hugh Grant acting in that established Hugh Grant persona. Often derided as one of those actors who "always does the same thing," Grant has spent the sum of his career both embracing and cleverly subverting his gentlemanly persona - to say that he hasn't branched out would be entirely wrong, given the way in which he has consciously toyed with his public image to render characters of all different types. Above all, Grant has proven himself to be an incredibly charismatic and entirely watchable actor of the highest order - and he can play the asshole just as well as he can play the hopeless, bumbling schmuck. To celebrate the release of his latest movie, The Rewrite, which sees Grant as a former screenwriter turned college lecturer, join us as we look back on the highs and lows of one of Britain's best and most beloved leading men (with no mention of that Divine Brown incident, we promise)...
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
