Hugh Grant says his iconic Downing Street dance in the 2003 Christmas classic film Love, Actually is “the most excruciating scene ever committed to celluloid”.
Grant, now 62, who plays a newly elected UK Prime Minister in the film who falls for one of his staff, revealed that he thought he would “hate doing that” when he first read the script. The famous scene involves Grant dancing around Number 10 to Jump by The Pointer Sisters before he's caught by a personal secretary.
The scene has become iconic in the almost 20 years since the film has been released, with internet users imitating his dance moves. However, during a special 20-years-later celebration of Love, Actually, Grant revealed that he found the scene 'excruciating'.
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Speaking to ABC news anchor Diane Sawyer during the celebration, Grant admitted that “some people like (the scene)”. He said: "I think I saw it in the script and thought ‘I’ll hate doing that’. No Englishman can dance when they’re sober at 8am in the morning.
“And to this day, you know, there’s many people, and I agree with them, and we think it’s the most excruciating scene ever committed to celluloid."
The actor also claimed it had been his idea to have the secretary, played by the late Meg Wynn Owen, catch him mid-boogie.
“I will give myself the credit of having the secretary catch me… genius,” he said, laughing. The film’s writer Richard Curtis said Grant was “grumpy” about performing the routine, but went through with it due to “contractual obligation”.
Curtis said: “I think he was hoping I (would) get ill or something and they’d say, ‘Oh, what a shame to lose that dancing sequence’. He was grumpy but he knew he was under a contractual obligation.”
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