Why Hugh Grant calls his first major American starring role a grotesque overacting disaster

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: When Hugh Grant transitioned from modest British productions to a high-budget Hollywood studio film, the pressure of a massive paycheck caused him to panic. He abandoned his natural acting style, resulting in a performance he later described as a shocker. The film, Nine Months, remains a fascinating case of studio-era anxiety.

Released in 1995, Nine Months was a romantic comedy directed by Chris Columbus and served as Hugh Grant's first starring role in the United States. The production, which was filmed in the San Francisco Bay Area, was a remake of the French film Neuf mois. Despite a cast that included Julianne Moore, Robin Williams, and Jeff Goldblum, the film received mixed reviews, with critics often pointing to the predictable plot and Grant's performance as significant weaknesses.

Grant himself has been remarkably candid about his dissatisfaction with the film. He attributed his poor performance to the massive jump in salary compared to his previous work, such as Four Weddings and a Funeral. Feeling the weight of the 20th Century Fox production, he believed he needed to ramp up his acting by 200 percent, which led him to pull faces and overact. He has since apologized to his co-stars, admitting that he panicked and failed to perform basic acting tasks, such as meaning what he said.

The film's release was also complicated by external factors. During the promotional period, Grant was arrested in Los Angeles for a sex act with Estella Marie Thompson, an event he later linked to his disappointment after a preview of the film. Critics like Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel noted that the scandal made it difficult for audiences to view Grant's character as an innocent, though they also argued the film would have been considered mediocre regardless. Ultimately, the film grossed $138.5 million worldwide, but it remains a project that the lead actor views with deep professional regret.

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