Every actor has that one performance that they value above all others. That one role that should not only be used to define them, but also net them the fortune and accolades that only a nomination for a prestigious award will allow them. For Hugh Grant, that role was his performance in About A Boy, the award was the BAFTA, and the result was upsetting as he didn't get the recognition he craved.
Yahoo Movies interviewed the actor, as part of his press engagement for his upcoming role in the awards-friendly Florence Foster Jenkins. During that time, a remark that Grant had made about judging his career based on money over prizes was brought into question, which lead to the question of whether he felt he was overlooked for any sorts of nods during his career. Hugh Grant, in all of his career-earned wisdom, offered the following, blunt, answer:
I do remember being a little bitter about About a Boy, not being nominated for a BAFTA. It was a British film. Bastards.
You can practically hear him deliver that answer in his traditional, pithy Hugh Grant voice. To be honest, who could really blame him for feeling that way, especially when About A Boy found itself racking up two BAFTA nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as a nod for Best Actress In A Supporting Role going to Toni Collette. Despite his career seeing him rack up memorable performances in Bridget Jones' Diary, Love Actually, and even Cloud Atlas, his role as Will Freeman could be the one he's best remembered for. With moments like the one we're about to show you in the video below, it's not hard to see why.
For a good part of his career, Hugh Grant was known as a charming fop with a stutter and a smile for whatever leading lady he was facing off against. That was never a bad thing, as Grant played that sort of shtick really well. However, with his performance in About A Boy, Hugh Grant was able to explore facets of drama and comedy that he had rarely been afforded the opportunity to explore. It's an opportunity that looks to have returned with Florence Foster Jenkins, and if he plays his cards right, Hugh Grant may find himself nominated for more than just a BAFTA. So long as the nominating committee has a good sense of dry British humor about Grant's remarks, of course.
Florence Foster Jenkins belts its tune of dramatic awards potential this Friday.
