From cementing himself as the go-to romantic hero back in the 90s, recent years have witnessed Hugh Grant taking solace in more character-driven roles. However, ever since his days of playing the charming lead with his fluffy hair in a plethora of rom-coms, the actor has occasionally found himself struggling on film sets from absurd attacks of stage fright.
The Notting Hill star got candid while reflecting on his battle with stage fright with Donald Sutherland, as he explained how he dealt with the situation that made him quit acting for a brief period.
Hugh Grant reflects on dealing with stage fright and how he overcame it
Throughout his illustrious career, the British star has successfully brought several beloved characters to life on the big screen, but the process behind the scenes isn’t always pleasant. Reflecting on his experience of battling stage fright, Hugh Grant recounted one movie, where things got a little out of hand. According to the Love Actually star, during one of his scenes, he started shvitzing from his armpits and face, stating it was extremely embarrassing. Grant recalled,
“Out of the blue, when I’m doing a scene that’s not very challenging, I’ll be overcome with shocking nerves. I start shvitzing from my armpits, and the makeup people can’t bring sponges fast enough to get rid of the sweat from my face. I can’t breathe, I can’t remember my lines, and it’s extremely embarrassing.”
Things eventually got better after the actor visited a Shrink, who advised him “to go away and do a lot of press-ups”. But this isn’t the only time the actor found himself battling crippling stage fright, as back in the late 2000s, the extreme situation of the matter forced him to quit acting.
Stage fright forced Hugh Grant to quit acting back in the late 2000s
Despite being one of the biggest stars in the rom-coms field, Hugh Grant would quietly disappear from the limelight, following the attacks of Stage fright with alarming frequency. This resulted in Grant taking a brief hiatus from acting, before eventually returning to his roots, with his first major project being 2016’s Florence Foster Jenkins, where he joined forces with Meryl Streep. Reflecting on what made him convince to come on board for the movie, Grant said,
“It was not only a brilliant script, but it had an amazing part for me. Plus [director] Stephen Frears, plus Meryl Streep! So I had to do it.”
As of now, the Dungeons & Dragons star has shifted away from playing a typical romantic lead and is more intrigued with playing duplicitous and diabolical characters.
Florence Foster Jenkins is available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Source: Interview Magazine
