said Lynn Hirschberg in W magazine. At his
all-boys school in London, Grant relished playing
the girls’ parts in all the school productions.
“I wore charming little frocks. In The Sound of
Music, I was a von Trapp daughter in a white
dress with a blue satin sash, and my line was
‘I’m Brigitta. I’m 12, and all I want is a good
time.’ I got a laugh. And I was so delighted, I
laughed, too. Sadly, that’s a problem I still have—on stage, I laugh
hysterically at how funny I am.” Grant continued acting at Oxford
University, and when a local director asked him to star in a movie,
the floppy-haired Brit didn’t hesitate. “He told me I’d get to kiss
Victoria Studd, this hot girl at Oxford. So I said OK.” He achieved
Hollywood stardom soon after with Four Weddings and a Funeral,
but decided to stay in London. “I don’t hate L.A., but I’m nervous
about becoming one of those people who has a ferocious interest
in how films did at the box office and, you know, would want
to meet for egg-white omelets in the morning. After a few weeks
of living there, I realized I was going native. I remember being
tempted to not actually phone people myself but have my assistant
say, ‘Hi, I’ve got Hugh Grant for you.’ At that point, you know
you’ve got to get out.”
