Hugh Grant may “talk posh” but he had “zero money growing up”.
The Bridget Jones star was born and raised in London, UK. He is keen to point out he didn’t have an extravagant upbringing and had to work hard for his success, although he knows his voice makes many suspect otherwise.
“We had absolutely zero money growing up,” he told the April edition of the UK’s Empire magazine.
“We never had foreign holidays or anything like that. I just talk posh. And my parents always have done. There used to be adverts in The Daily Telegraph for ‘distressed gentlefolk’ and I think that is what my parents are.”
Hugh has risen to fame and wealth after appearing in hit films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Two Weeks Notice.
However the 51-year-old fell into acting 30 years ago and has been planning to quit ever since.
“That’s been the pattern for 30 years,” he said.
“There are all these other things I want to do then usually… it was, ‘I was so bad in that, I am going to do one more to show people that I am not that bad.’ That went on for quite long time.”
While he has no plans to quit acting any time soon he has turned down roles in hit movies and TV shows. Hugh opted out of an opportunity to replace Charlie Sheen in Two and a Half Men last year because they failed to offer him a script.
“They wanted me to do it just on the assumption that there was an alternative good character to Charlie Sheen that would be created around me, and although those authors are absolutely geniuses, I have never signed on for something where I have not seen a script. That was the main sticking point,” he explained.
Hugh also said no when he was offered the part of Gilderoy Lockhart in the Harry Potter films. However, these days he “can’t remember” why he passed on the part.
“To be absolutely honest, I have seen any of the Harry Potter films, but I think... Actually, I really can’t remember why I didn’t do it,” he said
“Maybe it was down to schedules or maybe they didn’t offer me enough money. Honestly, I can’t remember.”
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