From heart to humour and now horror, Hugh Grant’s progression of roles proves his Heretic performance was nothing but inevitable.
Behind the Lens: Exploring Directors, Past Works, and Themes at Cornwall Film Festival
As we’ve all guessed from the creepy Heretic trailer, Grant’s character “Mr. Reed” may not turn out to be as welcoming nor friendly as first impressions may have deemed. What is even less surprising, is Grant’s ultimate arrival into the genre of horror. Over the years we’ve seen him in roles that are progressively less and less admirable and now the time for an unrestrained performance of the truly wicked has at last arrived. As we look back on his previous roles, you can see why it “feels as if he’s been waiting for something like [Heretic] for decades" - The Guardian.
Heartthrob Hugh
Ah, the good old days. With his swoon-worthy roles in lighthearted romantic comedies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Notting Hill (1999), how could you not fall in love? Grant sauntered onto our screens as the classic leading love interest, delivering all things charm and charisma. Of course, these early rom-com roles required an edge of seriousness, imperative for delivering grand romantic gestures and scenes of lovers embracing.
Heartless Hugh
More wit. Less sober. Enter Daniel Cleaver. The characters from both Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and About a Boy (2002) share a disregard and moodiness that Grant himself has been known to emit. Taking pride in his misanthropic personality, he's repeatedly confessed in interviews that he's grumpy and 'quite difficult these days' to work with. Unlike these flawed characters, Grant at least is incredibly self-aware of his crankiness, or as some would argue, his 'Britishness'. Unnafectionate but still loveable. This is just him warming up…
Horrible Hugh
Now we’re onto the good stuff. Grant’s roles here get a lot more playful with Paddington 2 (2017) and The Gentlemen (2019). Playing a seedy villain in the children's film and a corrupt investigator in Guy Ritchie's gangster movie, there is no denying these characters are downright bad people. But with comedy being prevalent in both, the performances were laced with a mischievousness that kept them light. Hugh having fun? We can hardly believe it. These films certainly gave him a taste of letting loose, firstly playing an animated baddie and then with The Gentlemen giving 'many usually serious stars a chance to lash out with silliness' - New York Post.
Horrifying Hugh
It was only a matter of time, wasn’t it? Grant has dove headfirst into the dark and twisted genre of horror in the new A24 release Heretic. From directors that brought us A Quiet Place (2018) and The Boogeyman (2023), we enter a sinister game of cat-and-mouse, with Grant playing the diabolical character of Mr. Reed. This holy horror has unleashed Grant in a 'performance of total freedom and what seems like genuinely giddy pleasure' (The Guardian) as we see him oozing his trademark charming qualities, but now with a much darker and chilling spin to it. We always knew this day would come. On a recent episode of The Graham Norton Show, Grant explained his character choice for making Mr. Reed that much more unsettling, stating 'everything that's creepy will be doubly, trebly creepy if he's making jokes at the same time'. I guess there's no escaping Grant and his dry sense of humour.
Don't miss Heretic screening at The Poly on Friday 22nd Novemeber @ 10:00 PM. Grab your tickets here!
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