Hugh Grant was able to forge quite the career, in large part, thanks to his success in rom-coms. Sure, his films haven't always received the best reviews, but they brought lots of fans to the theaters. This was especially true given the chemistry he had with certain co-stars, such as Julia Roberts in Notting Hill.However, like many other top tier actors, Hugh Grant has a few regrets looking back at his career. One of them came from an interview alongside Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. According to Stewart, Grant was impossible to deal with behind the scenes, and he ended up getting banned by the show. To Hugh's credit, he agreed with the criticism. In the following, we'll take a look at another regret, or at least we assume this is one given what a huge franchise a certain film would become. Grant decided to turn down a major franchise, in favor of a rom-com alongside Sandra Bullock. We'll take a look at the details, and why Grant was adamant about working with Bullock instead.
Hugh Grant Had A Strong Desire To Work Alongside Sandra Bullock For Years
Back in 2002, Hugh Grant joined forces with Sandra Bullock, as the duo starred in Two Weeks Notice. The film was a success at the box office, bringing in $199 million. However, as we'll reveal later, that number was nowhere near what the other film that Grant turned down had made.
For Grant, appearing in the rom-com was a major priority, given his willingness to work alongside Sandra Bullock.
"I don't know why she'd want to work with ME, but I wanted to work with her just because I've always admired her, thought she's the girl, queen of that kind of stuff. She's a brilliant comedienne, sort of gorgeous and charming and I just thought that could work and I think it helps with the chemistry a little bit, if there's a part of you that quite fancies the person you're doing it with."
Grant would also reveal to meeting with Bullock years prior, but that a 'disgusting' story turned the actress off, and delayed their process of working together for extra years.
Hugh Grant Turned Down Harry Potter For Two Weeks Notice Alongside Sandra Bullock
That's right, the film that Hugh Grant turned down was none other than Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which would go on to make close to a $1 billion at the box office, $925 million to be exact. Grant was apparently considered for the role of wizard Gilderoy Lockhart.
Director Chris Columbus didn't discuss Grant's possible casting. However, his team did issue a statement at the time.
"Sadly Hugh had to turn down the part because he's committed to doing a movie with Sandra Bullock next February," Grant's agent Karin Smith revealed to Slash Film.
According to Grant, it wasn't the first major script he turned down, and it was a common theme throughout his career.
"It means I turn down 990 scripts out of a thousand, then when you find one that's good you grab it with both hands. After that you keep working at it, keep bullying the writer and make sure it's as good as it possibly can be."
Just getting considered for the role was an accomplishment in itself for Grant. According to director Chris Columbus, the film had strict criteria when it came the hiring process.
Getting Considered To Be In Harry Potter Was An Accomplishment In Itself, Given The Film's Strict Casting Rules
Among the great actors to lose out on a potential role in Harry Potter included none other than the late and great, Robin Williams. The actor got turned down for two potential roles in the film.
Director Chris Columbus revealed the film had strict criteria when it came to casting, which included a Brits-only rules. Obviously, Williams didn't fit that match, despite the fact that the actor himself called and showed interest in the role.
Columbus recalls, “Robin would have been brilliant,” Columbus said. “It would have been a different interpretation — I thought David Thewlis was great — but Robin would have been brilliant. Jo Rowling and myself said to each other when we first met, ‘Look, we want this cast to be 100 percent British.’ And by the way, I stuck to that.”
Among the long list of others to be considered or get turned down by the film includes Eddie Redmayne, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Rowan Atkinson and Saoirse Ronan.