Hugh Grant spent half his career in rom-coms. Now he plays monsters, and he's never been happier

NEW YORK -- After immoderate difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant yet opts to conscionable telephone instead.

“Sorry astir that,” he apologizes. “Tech hell.” Grant is nary person of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls nan “devil’s tinderbox.”

“I deliberation they’re sidesplitting us. I dislike them,” he says. “I spell connected agelong holidays from them, 3 aliases 4 days astatine at time. Marvelous.”

Hell, and our proximity to it, is simply a not unrelated taxable to Grant’s caller film, “Heretic.” In it, 2 young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) travel knocking connected a doorway they’ll soon regret visiting. They’re welcomed successful by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their religion successful theological debate, and then, successful overmuch worse things.

After decades successful romanticist comedies, Grant has spent nan past fewer years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to nan top acclaim of his career. But successful “Heretic,” a scary thriller from A24, Grant’s move to nan acheronian broadside reaches a caller extreme. The character who erstwhile charmingly stammered successful “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and who danced to nan Pointer Sisters successful “Love Actually” is now doing heinous things to young group successful a basement.

“It was a challenge,” Grant says. “I deliberation quality beings request challenges. It makes your brew sensation amended successful nan evening if you’ve climbed a mountain. He was conscionable truthful wonderfully (expletive)-up.”

“Heretic,” which opens successful theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of “A Quiet Place.” In Grant’s hands, Mr. Reed is simply a divinely bully baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues propulsion from a wide scope of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's “Creep."

In an interview, Grant said astir these and different facets of his character, his travel from rom-com idol to scary villain and his abiding affection for “The Sound of Music.”

GRANT: Yes, convey you. It’s not easy for immoderate actor.

GRANT: It’s difficult to retrieve which was nan writers, which was me. But I’m beautiful judge doing nan Jar Jar Binks impersonation was my idea.

GRANT: No, I didn’t. I conscionable thought it would beryllium nosy if nan characteristic did that because it’d beryllium conscionable weird. And, successful fact, what’s overseas astir maine is that I’ve ne'er seen a "Star Wars” film.

GRANT: I can’t. They’re excessively frightening for me. I watched “The Exorcist” erstwhile I was excessively young and I’ve been successful counseling ever since. I watched 1 by correction recently, which was “Midsommar.” I thought it looked for illustration a jolly, Swedish comedy. I put it connected 1 evening for my Swedish woman who needed cheering up and she’s still very, very traumatized.

GRANT: It’s fascinating, isn’t it? I don’t know. Maybe these are nan extremity of times, nan extremity days, nan apocalypse. We cognize it heavy down but for immoderate logic we won’t face it. I don’t know, but it’s awesome that it sends group into nan cinemas.

GRANT: It is. Talk astir nan extremity of days. To me, 1 of nan gloomiest signs aliases omens is nan gradual closing of cinemas — and not conscionable that, wherever I unrecorded successful London, but nan closing of bars. The barroom wherever I met my wife, which was statement nighttime each nighttime of nan week, is now mostly closed. I deliberation nan truth that we’re each staying in, staring astatine our devil’s tinderboxes is profoundly tragic, aliases watching things connected streaming by ourselves pinch possibly 1 aliases 2 different family members. These things should beryllium corporate experiences.

GRANT: My expertise to gauge what’s entertaining, I utilized to beryllium very proud of it. In nan aged days, my aged career, I utilized to say, “I’m not truthful proud of my acting but I’m proud of nan truth that nan films I’ve done, connected nan whole, person been entertaining and I’ve been bully astatine choosing them.” And then, abruptly overnight, I became very bad astatine choosing them. I don’t know, I mislaid nan zeitgeist, I suppose. That tin happen. Now, I consciousness for illustration I’ve recovered thing again. If nan characteristic amuses maine and I deliberation I’m going to bask being that person, past I thin to do nan job. Sometimes, erstwhile actors are enjoying it, it works.

GRANT: Yes, I’ve sewage thing other to spell on. And I’m not nan lead character, nan movie doesn’t remainder connected me. I don’t person to interest that overmuch if it does well, mean aliases badly. I conscionable spell by: Do I deliberation I’m going to person immoderate nosy successful this?

GRANT: The large displacement was aft “Did You Hear About nan Morgans?” That was benignant of officially nan extremity of romanticist drama for me. Nothing overmuch happened aft that successful showbiz terms. I went disconnected and did governmental campaigning and I was rather happy, successful fact. But successful drips and drabs, unusual small projects, for illustration nan Wachowskis' “Cloud Atlas,” past Stephen Fears came on pinch “Florence Foster Jenkins” and “A Very English Scandal.” “Paddington 2.” These interesting, complex, often not very nice, narcissistic weirdos started to look from nan woods.

GRANT: Looking back, I was very lucky. I had Richard Curtis connected nan 1 hand, who is not only a talented comic writer – he tin conscionable do flat-out drama for illustration “Black Adder” – but he’s an unrecognized dramatist. Those comedies are based connected pain. The drama is location to woody pinch pain. It’s group pinch unrequited love, mislaid love, bereavement, brothers pinch intelligence unwellness — due pain. So I was fortunate pinch him.

And I deliberation I was very fortunate pinch Marc Lawrence who conscionable had a awesome gift for nan ceremony of life. He really likes people, which is truthful weird. So films for illustration “Music and Lyrics” person a very sustaining and uplifting buoyancy to them. He’s an unrecognized talent.

GRANT: You cognize who really loves them? The astir astonishing personification successful nan world. Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino pushed his measurement done a crowd astatine a statement successful London erstwhile to say, (does Tarantino impression) “Man, I loved ‘Music and Lyrics’ and ‘Two Weeks Notice.’” He told maine nan full crippled of some films and really he was watching 1 of them connected a level and nan level landed and he had to unreserved disconnected to a DVD shop to bargain nan disc truthful he could watch nan extremity of it. I thought possibly he was joking but I don’t deliberation he was. Someone told maine astatine his cinema present successful Hollywood, a alternatively cool, 35mm-showing theater, he’s been showing “Music and Lyrics,” nary less.

GRANT: Yes, my enthusiasm for that movie has spread. I’ve conscionable been invited to a 60th day adjacent twelvemonth successful Salzburg. I mightiness go. I mightiness deterioration lederhosen. Or I mightiness deterioration a achromatic dress pinch a bluish satin sash, arsenic I did successful schoolhouse erstwhile I played Brigitta Von Trapp.

GRANT: Yeah, I was astatine all-boys English schoolhouse and I played, I think, nan 3rd youngest daughter.

GRANT: The older I get nan much I emotion opus and dance. I find myself watching a batch much Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, things for illustration that. Because life is truthful stressful and nan news is truthful ghastly that it’s difficult to watch very superior worldly and prime yourself up afterwards. I did watch “The Zone of Interest” coming complete from London nan different day. And I person to opportunity that’s conscionable astir arsenic bully arsenic filmmaking gets. Short of “The Sound of Music,” obviously.

GRANT: Yes, weirdly it has, and it’s difficult to opportunity why. Is it a benignant of exorcism aliases something? I don’t know. Way backmost successful my 20s, erstwhile I started retired acting, nan only point I thought I could ever bring to intermezo was doing silly characters, doing voices. I did them arsenic a kid to nan constituent wherever I drove group mad. I was ne'er myself. My parents and my schoolhouse teachers utilized to say, “Come on, conscionable driblet it. Who’s nan existent Hugh Grant?” So it was a spot weird to person a profession arsenic a leading-man romanticist comedies wherever I didn’t get to beryllium anyone accustomed aliases weird. So I consciousness for illustration this is thing I tin do, and rather for illustration doing. At nan aforesaid time, I learned immoderate tricks of movie acting and sewage a small spot better.

GRANT: The large point for maine was I learned to spot myself a spot much erstwhile you’re really successful beforehand of nan camera. There’s a unspeakable threat erstwhile group do movie acting. They’re truthful frightened of this big, unit infinitesimal that’s coming up that they benignant of pre-rehearse and think, “I’m going to opportunity nan statement this way, and it’s fantabulous that way, and I shall conscionable effort to reproduce that connected nan day.” But that’s nary good. You’ve sewage to reinvent it connected nan day.

The prep activity should not beryllium really you’re going to opportunity nan lines, nan prep activity should beryllium — well, for me, anyhow — a benignant of absurdly prolonged in-depth marinade for illustration a portion of aged nutrient that you time off soaking for weeks and months successful condiment until it’s afloat of flavor. So my marinade takes nan shape of very, very painstaking, infinitesimal introspection of nan script: Why do I opportunity this? Why do I do this? What happened successful puerility for this personification to behave for illustration this? What was his mother like? What was his begetter like?

In nan lawsuit of Mr. Reed successful “Heretic,” it’d be: Let’s look astatine immoderate serial killers. Let’s look astatine immoderate cult leaders. Let’s look astatine immoderate atheists. It’s funny really important costume is. Suddenly immoderate thing, 1 thing, 1 visual, beingness point makes you go: That’s him. With Mr. Reed it was nan thought of double denim. I don’t really deterioration double denim successful nan movie but I realized, yes, he’s Mr. Double Denim. He thinks he’s a groovy coach astatine university, nan 1 who’s down pinch nan kids, making jokes.

GRANT: Yeah, that’s true. But doing it connected those romanticist comedies, I’m not judge I really sewage anyplace particularly. I wasn’t really creating monsters. It’s easier erstwhile you’re creating monsters. I’m fascinated by nan bizarre, weird distortions that quality beings twist themselves into emotionally, intellectually, physically from nan tests and tribulations of life. I’m not judge that immoderate of my characters successful nan romanticist comedies were sufficiently twisted to afloat get my juices flowing.

GRANT: Not needfully from nan constituent of position of religion. But location is simply a portion of maine — astir apt a not very charismatic portion of maine — that likes to smash people’s idols. Anyone I consciousness is being a spot excessively smug aliases excessively pretentious, I don’t for illustration to spot that. I for illustration to conscionable return them isolated a small bit. My mother did it. She didn’t for illustration maine aliases my relative being excessively up and she’d find immoderate measurement to bring america backmost to crushed level.

GRANT: I agree.

GRANT: It’s a very bully mobility that I do not person nan reply to. As a matter of fact, location is 1 point sitting connected my table successful nan different room present which is beautiful weird and comparatively fresh. I agree, I’m not rather judge wherever to spell from here. Maybe it’s opus and dance.