Hugh Grant Says He Won’t Do More Rom-Coms Because He’s ‘Old and Fat’: ‘I Got Too Ugly’

You probably won’t catch Hugh Grant starring in another rom-com any time soon. The Cloud Atlas actor shared a very blunt reason why he does not want to make anymore movies in the genre during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show on Monday, December 11.

“I got too old and fat and ugly to do romantic comedies, obviously, so I got off with more interesting things,” Hugh, 63, told host Drew Barrymore.

Hugh and Drew, 48, have a bit of history, as they starred together in the 2007 rom-com Music and Lyrics. “We need to do another one,” she told the BAFTA winner of potentially making another film in the beloved genre.

“I love those films. I love the fact that people still like them, but I never felt comfortable really doing them,” Hugh candidly shared. “I don’t know about you, but I prefer more of a mask. I want to be someone else. Then it frees me up and then I quite like acting.”

The England-born star went on to say that he probably won’t be taking on other “sweet roles” in the future. Instead, he is happy with the “lovely” direction his career has taken recently, with roles in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and The Undoing.

This wasn’t the first time that he publicly expressed a distaste for the rom-com genre. In November 2022, Hugh admitted that he was not a huge fan of the dance scene that his character performed in Love Actually.

“I saw it in the script, and I thought, ‘Well, I’ll hate doing that,'” he told Diane Sawyer in a special celebrating the film’s 20th anniversary. “I didn’t fancy doing the dance at all, let alone rehearsing it.”

Writer and director Richard Curtis recalled Hugh’s behavior on set once he learned he would have to perform a dance routine.

“He kept saying no,” he said. “I think he was hoping I’d get ill or something, and we’d say, ‘Oh, well, what a shame, we’ll have to lose that dancing sequence.'”

Still, the scene is one of the most iconic in rom-com history, with fans never forgetting Hugh’s moves while The Pointer Sisters’ “Jump” played in the background.

Hugh also recently confessed that he “hated” his role in the new Wonka film, in which he plays an Oompa Loompa.

“I made a big fuss about it,” he said during a press conference for the film, adding, “I couldn’t have hated the whole thing more.”

Hugh, who is a father of five kids, continued, “I slightly hate [making films] but I have lots of children and need money.”