‘Something of a messiah’: Hugh Grant sounds off about getting ‘weird’ during his villain era

At one time, Hugh Grant was the go-to actor for your typical English rom-com. Since then, however, he has come to an even better era.

Recent roles have cast the prolific actor as an Oompa Loompa, a power-hungry rogue, and now, the disturbing Mr. Reed in the A24 film, Heretic. Grant seems to have no issues with this new phase in his career, even being drawn to Mr. Reed for his base nature. The Dungeons & Dragons actor explained to USA Today that he envisioned the character as a professor at some lower-tier university, attracting the attention of female students.

“I saw him maybe having some seminars in his own rooms and some of the girls came to those and really thought he was something of a messiah. And then I always thought one of them died and it was unclear exactly what had happened. The university authorities were concerned. They didn’t fire Mr. Reed. They just asked him to move on. I knew these sort of teachers.”

This backstory to the character arguably makes him even more insidious. But it is just the sort of people Grant has been drawn to in recent years. He has been up front that his acting career plateaued when he was no longer cast as a romantic lead any longer. The day of David, the bashful Prime Minister in Love Actually had faded. Even so, Grant was grateful to find a different sect he didn’t have as much experience in. He credits the Wachowskis for casting him in Cloud Atlas. This opened the door for many new and exciting opportunities.

“My whole romantic comedy career collapsed spectacularly in 2010, and then really there was nothing. Then, in little tiny droplets, people started saying, ‘Oh, come and do a little bit in this, and a little bit in that.’ Very often those were the places where I was able to bring my enthusiasm for freaks, weirdos (and) damaged, evil people to the screen.”

A Very English Scandal was Grant’s foray into this type of content in 2018. Written by Russell T. Davies, the series depicts the true story of the leader of the English Liberal Party, Jeremy Thorpe, who gets embroiled in an assassination plot in the 1970’s. The seeds of this were planted years before when Thorpe has an affair with a young stable boy, Norman Scott (Ben Whishaw). Eventually, Thorpe becomes tired of his lover and dismisses him. When Scott starts threatening to expose the affair, Thorpe hires someone to kill him. The series was critically acclaimed and led to the follow-up, A Very British Scandal. Grant’s part in the series led to a second act in his career with many complex characters.

Grant plays the creepy Mr. Reed in Heretic

Heretic is the newest A24 horror film to delight and offend anyone who watches it. Told from the perspective of two Mormons, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), Heretic shows what can happen when a religious sect tries to convert the wrong person. They knock on Mr. Reed’s door who gladly invites them in to have a discussion about their beliefs. What happens in the next two hours is pure psychological horror. Grant has delved into this new genre with glee. Though he is practiced with other villains like Dungeons & Dragons’ Forge, his new character lacks the levity of the comic character. Be prepared to experience the worst when Heretic premieres in theaters on Nov. 8.