In a nostalgic moment on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” British actor Hugh Grant shared a memorable experience from his visit to India in 1988, during the filming of a French movie.
Grant recounted his arrival in Kolkata, where he found himself alone at the baggage claim, watching as fellow travelers collected their bags and departed. It was a lonely moment for the young actor, who was just beginning to carve out his niche in the film industry.
As he stood there, waiting for someone to greet him, a surprising figure approached: an 11-year-old boy who introduced himself as Grant’s driver.
“I was a bit taken aback,” Hugh Grant shared with a chuckle. “Here I was, a young actor in a strange country, and my driver was this little kid.” The boy assured Grant he was capable and ready to drive him for the entire duration of the shoot. Although Grant was skeptical about the boy’s ability to handle a vehicle, he decided to go along with it.
“What could possibly go wrong?” Grant mused, recalling how the young driver seemed eager and confident. However, the actor’s concerns soon validated when, just a few days into the shoot, the boy had an accident. “Oh no! Well, he was 11…” Grant remarked, humorously downplaying the incident. Sadly, the boy lost his job due to the mishap, but fate had a twist in store.
Several weeks later, as Grant was wrapping up his time in India, he unexpectedly encountered the boy again on the bustling streets of Kolkata. “I said, ‘How are you? What’s happening? Are you all right?’” Grant recounted, his voice filled with warmth.
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The boy responded cheerfully, revealing that he had found new employment as a school bus driver. Grant laughed, recalling the surreal turn of events. “It’s a small world,” he said, reflecting on how quickly circumstances can change.
Beyond this humorous anecdote, Hugh Grant is also making headlines with the upcoming release of “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” set to premiere on Valentine’s Day 2025. Appearing on “The Graham Norton Show,” Grant offered a glimpse into the film, describing it as a blend of humor and deep emotional resonance. “It’s very, very sad,” he noted, indicating that this installment will delve into more profound themes while still maintaining the charm fans have come to love.
This fourth entry in the “Bridget Jones’s Diary” series sees Grant reprising his role as the lovable rogue Daniel Cleaver, a character he portrayed in the earlier films alongside Renée Zellweger, who returns as the iconic Bridget Jones. Interestingly, Grant did not appear in the third film, “Bridget Jones’s Baby,” but he expressed excitement about being back for this new project, even though he initially found his character’s arc unconvincing.
“I wasn’t initially happy with my character’s story in the fourth film,” he admitted candidly. He explained that he worked with the filmmakers to create a narrative that felt authentic to Cleaver’s current life stage. “He’s in his 60s now. You can’t just have him smoothing his way down King’s Road eyeing up young girls,” Grant pointed out.