Hugh Grant Opens Up About Why Shooting Some Of His Most Popular Films Was A “Miserable” Process

In the 1990s, Hugh Grant became known as the king of rom-coms, appearing in hit movies like Four Weddings And A Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Notting Hill, all of which are still beloved today.

But while romantic comedies may have been the British star’s bread and butter for many years, it turns out making them wasn’t always quite as fun as the finished products made out.

Reflecting on his time spent appearing in rom-coms, Hugh told Variety: “They’re hard. And with the benefit of time, I really appreciate the good ones I did.

“The Richard Curtis ones are really about pain. It’s something my wife spotted. She’s Swedish; they’re good on pain. She was watching Love Actually, and she said, ‘Everyone’s in pain, and the humour is all a means for dealing with pain’. That’s what makes them sustain and not float away like a piece of fluff.

“The Marc Lawrence ones I did are also great because he genuinely loves people and there’s a warmth that I find enchanting. Because I’ve seen the romantic comedies that are slightly put together by committee, and they don’t work as well.”

Hugh continued: “I just think ‘com’ is difficult. I don’t know about ‘rom.’ Rom is not easy — and you need to mean it — but com is certainly very difficult.”