Hugh Grant’s Candid Confession Surprises Justice Smith
English star Hugh Grant made a surprising revelation to his “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” co-star, Justice Smith, stating that he pursued acting solely “to be famous and make a lot of money.”
Smith was taken aback by Grant’s frank admission, and he’s still uncertain if the actor was joking. During an appearance on the podcast “What Are We Even Doing?” hosted by Kyle MacLachlan, Smith shared details about their interaction while filming.
When asked about his rapport with Grant, Smith said, “I did. Oh, I love Hugh. When I worked with him, I asked, ‘Hugh, do you still love what you do? Do you still love this?’ And he just replied, ‘No.’ He added, ‘I’ve never loved it. I just wanted to be famous and make a lot of money.’ I was like, ‘Really?’ and he said, ‘Yeah.’”
He further noted, “He is so funny. He mentioned, ‘I’ve always hated the acting part of it.’ I was like, ‘Oh.’ But he said it with such sincerity.”
The conversation left Smith intrigued, prompting him to bring it up with Rosamund Pike while filming “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.” Seeking her opinion on whether Grant was serious or just expressing typical British humor, Smith recalled, “She said, ‘No, I’m pretty sure he’s just British.’ I was like, ‘Are you sure?’ This conversation stuck with me. I thought, ‘Oh, I guess you can be a really good actor and still just do it for the fame and money.’”
Both Smith and MacLachlan acknowledged that the 62-year-old Grant is a true “perfectionist,” pushing himself hard in his craft. MacLachlan remarked, “Here’s the thing about Hugh that I think—I’ve known Hugh for a long time, and he has the same spiel. The challenge for him is that he’s such a perfectionist and takes it so seriously.”
He elaborated, “Everything he wants to be perfect. He seems to have some control issues, but it’s more about the struggle of that experience rather than just letting go and doing what he does. Still, I believe he finds joy in it.”
Ultimately, Smith concluded that Grant’s statement highlighted just what a remarkable actor he truly is. He reflected, “I would hope that he was joking, but also that British humor is so dry and sometimes hard to penetrate. He was so sincere. Even when we were working on a silly comedy, you could tell he really cares about it. He’s such a good actor; he’ll make you believe that he doesn’t.”