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Authors: Anne Williams, Vivian Head
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the main thoroughfares of Los Angeles. That evening, he was arrested by an officer of the LAPD as a black prostitute, Divine Brown, performed oral sex on him in his car. He was taken to the police station for identification, and when it became clear that he was one of the biggest film stars on the planet, his photograph was released to the newspapers. Grant was fined $1,180 and was put on two years’ probation. Later, he explained what had happened. He had given 12 interviews that day for his newly released film, Nine Months, and had emerged in a state of confusion. Not surprisingly, few regarded this as a persuasive explanation of his behaviour.
Immediately after the incident, Hurley was reported to be very upset, and asked the media to give her some time to herself. Grant did the opposite, however, appearing on chat shows and giving interviews, in a move that – in retrospect – possibly saved his career. Instead of going into hiding, or blaming his childhood problems, as most Hollywood stars would have done, Grant decided to issue a full apology and to take the blame for his bad behaviour. On one show, Larry King Live , he said, ‘In the end you have to come clean and say I did something dishonourable, shabby and goatish’. To Jay Leno he remarked, ‘I think you know in life what’s a good thing to do and what’s a bad thing, and I did a bad thing, and . . . there you have it’.
F ALL . . . AND RISE
Curiously enough, the film that Grant had just made, Nine Months , featured a character, Tom Arnold, who constantly got into trouble with the tabloid press, and Grant remarked that his ‘nemesis’ helped him through a difficult time. However, although the public forgave him – one woman even turned up to see him with a banner reading ‘I would have paid you, Hugh’ – Hurley did not, and the relationship came to an end.
Fortunately for Grant, the incident on Sunset Strip did not damage his career and, despite the scandal, the parts continued to come in thick and fast. Another major film triumph was Notting Hill , in which he starred with Julia Roberts, a movie that confirmed his increasingly stereotypical image as a British upper-class twit. Other successful romantic comedies followed, such as Bridget Jones’ Diary , in which he began to emphasise the more selfish aspects of his screen personality, but like so many of Grant’s movies, the film continued to rely on portraying stereotypes for its comic effect. In 2002’s About a Boy , Grant extended his range somewhat by sporting a more modern hairstyle, and playing a disaffected wealthy bachelor who helps a young boy to mature, and in the process, grows up himself.
Today, Hugh Grant is one of Britain’s most popular, highly paid actors. He continues to maintain a public image of bewilderment and ambivalence about his success, remarking in one interview that the only film he had starred in that didn’t make him cringe was About a Boy .
Since his relationship with Hurley, his name has been linked romantically with several other women, including celebrity Jemima Khan, but he currently remains a bachelor. He affects a disdain for the film world and says he is writing a novel in case his acting career falls apart in the near future. However, that seems unlikely to happen: the self-deprecating, charming, yet selfish bachelor is a character that the public love, and that Hugh Grant plays to perfection. As Julia Roberts once said of him, ‘His silliness has grace. He could say, “I have foot fungus” and it would sound charming. It’s the accent, the manner, the Oxford education.’
Hugh Grant is one of the few victims of scandal that has emerged unscathed, largely because of the stylish way in which he handled this crisis. Since then he has had to face allegations of attacking members of the paparazzi, but in true Hollywood style Hugh Grant has come out without losing any credibility.
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress
Immediately after the incident, Hurley was reported to be very upset, and asked the media to give her some time to herself. Grant did the opposite, however, appearing on chat shows and giving interviews, in a move that – in retrospect – possibly saved his career. Instead of going into hiding, or blaming his childhood problems, as most Hollywood stars would have done, Grant decided to issue a full apology and to take the blame for his bad behaviour. On one show, Larry King Live , he said, ‘In the end you have to come clean and say I did something dishonourable, shabby and goatish’. To Jay Leno he remarked, ‘I think you know in life what’s a good thing to do and what’s a bad thing, and I did a bad thing, and . . . there you have it’.
F ALL . . . AND RISE
Curiously enough, the film that Grant had just made, Nine Months , featured a character, Tom Arnold, who constantly got into trouble with the tabloid press, and Grant remarked that his ‘nemesis’ helped him through a difficult time. However, although the public forgave him – one woman even turned up to see him with a banner reading ‘I would have paid you, Hugh’ – Hurley did not, and the relationship came to an end.
Fortunately for Grant, the incident on Sunset Strip did not damage his career and, despite the scandal, the parts continued to come in thick and fast. Another major film triumph was Notting Hill , in which he starred with Julia Roberts, a movie that confirmed his increasingly stereotypical image as a British upper-class twit. Other successful romantic comedies followed, such as Bridget Jones’ Diary , in which he began to emphasise the more selfish aspects of his screen personality, but like so many of Grant’s movies, the film continued to rely on portraying stereotypes for its comic effect. In 2002’s About a Boy , Grant extended his range somewhat by sporting a more modern hairstyle, and playing a disaffected wealthy bachelor who helps a young boy to mature, and in the process, grows up himself.
Today, Hugh Grant is one of Britain’s most popular, highly paid actors. He continues to maintain a public image of bewilderment and ambivalence about his success, remarking in one interview that the only film he had starred in that didn’t make him cringe was About a Boy .
Since his relationship with Hurley, his name has been linked romantically with several other women, including celebrity Jemima Khan, but he currently remains a bachelor. He affects a disdain for the film world and says he is writing a novel in case his acting career falls apart in the near future. However, that seems unlikely to happen: the self-deprecating, charming, yet selfish bachelor is a character that the public love, and that Hugh Grant plays to perfection. As Julia Roberts once said of him, ‘His silliness has grace. He could say, “I have foot fungus” and it would sound charming. It’s the accent, the manner, the Oxford education.’
Hugh Grant is one of the few victims of scandal that has emerged unscathed, largely because of the stylish way in which he handled this crisis. Since then he has had to face allegations of attacking members of the paparazzi, but in true Hollywood style Hugh Grant has come out without losing any credibility.
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress
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