Hugh Grant doesn’t care about the Oscars. He knows they’re a joke. He showed it last night when he snubbed Ashley Graham on the red carpet. She thought he was talking about the magazine Vanity Fair, but he was actually referring to the 1848 novel by William Thackeray. He was bored, annoyed, and eager to leave. He didn’t bother to name his tailor or praise any nominees. He just mocked himself and the whole event.
It was glorious. It was refreshing. not only that, but it was honest.
Hugh Grant knows that the Oscars have lost their credibility. They’re plagued by scandals, controversies, and declining ratings. They’re not about art or talent or creativity. They’re about politics and money and ego and image. They’re about who can kiss up to whom, who can campaign harder, and who can play by the rules. But Hugh Grant doesn’t play by those rules. He’s a rebel. He’s a maverick. Some would say he’s just a typical Brit fed up with all the nonsense and fuss…
But Hugh Grant is more than just an iconoclast. He’s also a credible and talented actor who has given us some very memorable performances. He has shown us his range, his charm, his wit, and his depth. From Four Weddings and a Funeral to Notting Hill to Bridget Jones’s Diary to Love Actually to The Undoing… Hugh Grant has made us laugh, cry, swoon, and think.
Hugh Grant is also real. He’s authentic. He’s human. He doesn’t let his past mistakes define him or haunt him or stop him. He’s had his own scandal that he survived. He was arrested in 1995 with a prostitute named Divine Brown. He was dating Elizabeth Hurley at the time. He had to face the media and apologise for his “lapse of judgement”. The world couldn’t understand how he could do that to Elizabeth Hurley.
It was humiliating. It was embarrassing. It was damaging.
But Hugh Grant didn’t hide from it. He didn’t deny it. He didn’t blame anyone else for it.
He owned it. He went on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and admitted his wrongdoing. He said he was sorry. He said he was an idiot.
He made fun of himself. He showed remorse. He showed courage. He showed humanity.
And people forgave him. People respected him. People loved him even more.
Because Hugh Grant is far from being perfect, but he’s bloody honest.
And that’s more than we can say for most of the people who attend the Oscars. They come across as fake, pretentious, and hypocritical. They play the game. They get interviewed and they generate buzz.
But Hugh Grant doesn’t need anyone to believe anything about him. He knows exactly who he is and what he’s done and what he can do. And we know it, too.
So, Hugh Grant has found a formula that keeps him grounded and perhaps wary of the Hollywood machine. He doesn’t take himself or the Oscars too seriously. He doesn’t seek their approval or their awards. He doesn’t follow their rules or their trends. He does his own thing, in his own way, with his own style. He stays true to himself, to his craft, and to his fans. He is a rebel, a maverick. Opinionated, direct and doesn’t suffer fools gladly.
Perhaps, if more of us acted like Hugh Grant, we would have better mental health. We would not be swayed by the opinions or expectations of others. We would not be afraid to express ourselves or challenge the status quo. We would not be ashamed of our flaws or mistakes. We would be honest, authentic, and human. We would be free. We would be happy. We would be ourselves.
