S Poddar
Hugh Grant, who famously portrayed Daniel Cleaver in the Bridget Jones films, has revealed that the script of the new sequel, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, was a tear-jerking event for him. He said this in an interview with Vanity Fair on Wednesday as the 64-year-old actor gets ready to reprise his role in the recent movie.
“I loved the script-it made me cry, and I wanted to help with this one,” Grant said. He went on to explain that even though the script emotionally moved him, there wasn’t necessarily a natural fit for his character in the storyline. “But really, there’s no part for Daniel Cleaver in it at all. They wanted him in it, and in the end, they’d done something I wasn’t crazy about.”
Not one to sacrifice integrity, Grant took matters into his own hands regarding the project. He shared he “wrote some scenes” to make Daniel Cleaver’s movie presence seem realistic and did so with permission of the film’s director, Michael Morris.
For those who may not know, Grant had parts in both the first and second Bridget Jones films but passed on the third, Bridget Jones’s Baby. More recently, he did not appear particularly wistful about that decision, telling Vanity Fair, “I really couldn’t fit my character in — he just didn’t belong, so I stepped aside.”
For whatever limited amount he did with the film, Grant spoke in great praise for Mad About the Boy and the source material. “It’s absolutely the best [Bridget Jones book], and I think it’s very funny and very, very moving,” he said.
Although Grant pointed out that he doesn’t have much screen time, and he has only been on set for one week, he confidently added that the movie will still touch the hearts of those who will see it. “I’m not in a lot, I did a week’s work, that’s it. … But when you see the film, you’ll be very moved,” he added.
The film Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is scheduled for release on February 14, 2025. No doubt, legions of Bridget enthusiasts will be hotly anticipating how the latest chapter unfolds.
