Hugh Grant was most famous for playing stammering toffs in "Four Weddings" and "Notting Hill", until "Bridget Jones's Diary" and "About a Boy" proved that he was more than just a floppy-haired fop.
Now, at the age of 42 and one of Britain's biggest exports, he talks about his lastest romantic comedy, playing a billionaire property developer opposite Sandra Bullock in "Two Weeks Notice".
You and Sandra Bullock had been looking to work together for a while. How did you know you'd eventually found the right material?
We'd been dying to do something for ages, filmmaking-wise that is. I had been watching Sandy for years and thinking, "That's the girl I should be doing films with."
We first met up about five years ago and had what Hollywood calls "a relationship meeting", where you talk about the possibility of working together. I told Sandy a very disgusting story, which I think revolted her, she left the room, and I didn't hear from her for three years after that.
In the meantime, people came with tons of romantic comedy scripts - none of them any good - and finally Marc Lawrence [the writer/director] came along with this great idea. I personally believe that Marc is one of only two people in the world who can write really good romantic comedies.
How frustrating is it for you that people are more interested in your love life than your films?
I do get frustrated, but I understand where the instinct comes from. When I think about actors I know, I'd much rather hear about who they're shagging than what film they're doing next. Sandy put a lot more effort into my love life than she has into this movie in many ways. She's always lining me up with girls and some of them are very good choices.
The opening credits of the film shows childhood photographs of you. Were you willing to show those?
Well, I had to check with the Nixon estate about the one of me and Richard! No, I didn't mind at all. The idea has come up before for films and the photos had to be dug out by my family. I just wish I wasn't such a little poser in all of them. I wish I was a bit more butch.
Were you happy with the way you looked as a child?
No, I wasn't happy as a teenager at all, especially with my hair. When I went on French exchanges, all the locals would call me "Mademoiselle", and I never completely got over that.
You've now become a master of comedy. Why do you think there's such a lack of good material in Hollywood?
The reason I turn down 99% of a hundred, I mean a thousand, scripts is because romantic comedies are often very romantic but seldom very funny. The writing isn't up to scratch and the lines aren't funny. My theory is there is great comedy writing in America, but it has migrated over to television in the last ten or 20 years; that's why they've got such successful TV shows.
Do you have any comedy heroes or draw inspiration from a particular actor?
I never thought, "Oh, I'd like to be like him" or modelled myself on anyone. Monty Python was the thing for me, and Fawlty Towers, Gene Wilder and the Mel Brooks films. After "Four Weddings" came out, I got compared to Cary Grant - largely because we shared the same name - and I used to go along with it and say, "Yes, I'm a big fan of his." The truth is, I'd never seen a Cary Grant film. Since then I have watched his stuff and it's astounding, but I don't see any similarity between us. Except for the fact that I'm told he used to wear ladies' underwear, which is something I also do.
