Mr. Grant, what kind of characters have you most loved playing over the years?
Well, in the early part of my career, I did all kinds of things. But one strand was baddies or weirdos — and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I wish I had kept that going, at least simultaneously, when I went off down rom-com alley. Although I do think that image perished in about 2010.
What did you like about playing the baddies?
It’s more fun. Actors prefer being baddies! Audiences prefer the baddies, and it's a very interesting question of why that is so. My personal belief is that it's the antagonist, the bad guy, who represents our true selves. And that is thrilling. I think it's thrilling to experience our true selves through that character. I think we are vicious, violent, selfish, unpleasant. And that's why good characters are quite difficult, because the good characters are the superficial, civilized veneer that we put on our true brutish self. It's less interesting. People are fascinated with bad guys in the way that they're fascinated with horror. They're fascinated with a spider in a tank or a snake in the zoo. You can't take your eyes off them, whereas the rom-com ones are much harder as an actor because you're always in grave danger of being a bit boring.
“That’s why Love, Actually has survived, because it’s actually got some base notes!”
How do you look back on your rom-com roles in comparison?
Well, I don't often look at them, but I'm proud that some of those films have survived as long as they have. My wife has a very interesting theory about why they did, she said a lot of them are based on pain. Love, Actually, which some people say is just a bit of souffle, a bit of fluff, all the jokes, all the comedy comes out of as a way of dealing with pain: loss of love, loss of a loved one through death, a loved one who's got a mental illness. And that's why it's survived, because it's actually got some base notes!
Is that how you’re choosing your roles these days? Are you looking for those base notes, or something else?
It's very difficult to find something which ticks all three boxes: the script, the part, the people you work with. You need a part where you're going to enjoy bringing something to that, where you can see that there's a life force you can bring, a twist on the character. In the recent case of Heretic, it was groovy professor, not just an intellectual, but a groovy teacher. I thought that'll be fun. Then, will this film entertain people? And the big test of that is, am I turning the pages one after another without going to make a cup of tea? And in this case, that was a tick. And then, what do I think of these collaborators? That means you watch their work and you like their work… I liked them. I liked the idea of A24, too. They know what they're doing.
This was an interesting film because it also focused so much on your facial expressions. Do you prefer that?
No, I have always been happier with words than with silent moments. But I've improved my silent moments, and I'm proud of that. It's hard. It's hard to have a camera just pushing on your face while you're reacting. It's hard not to get self-conscious, but I managed it in this film with various elaborate relaxing techniques. The camera loves it, it loves a completely relaxed face. The more tense a face is, the more the camera hates it and the audience is not comfortable around it. But a completely relaxed face is infinitely fascinating to people and calms the audience down in a good way.
It seems like you’re the type of actor who can make any type of role suit you.
Well, I think you need to bring your strengths to everything. So even with Heretic, I was determined to bring a bit of humour, for example. I also recently returned to playing Daniel Cleaver for the Bridget Jones movies, and well, I've always been fond of Daniel. I enjoy being him. That’s the key of having a career that you enjoy. You've got to like being the guy, whether he's good or bad, complicated, whatever. It has to give you a thrill.
“I’m perfectly happy with what I’m doing now.”
Is that how you’d like to be remembered as an actor? Through the myriad of different kinds of roles you’ve played?
Oh, man. Well, I hope when we die, it's the same as before we were born. No one's really frightened of that enormous, infinite blackness before we were born. No one sits there thinking, “Oh, God, how awful. I was nothing.” So I don't really see why we should be frightened of that after we die, as long as it is black. I really don’t want to be up there on a cloud playing a harp, meeting some of the people I’ve hated in my life. I can’t imagine a greater nightmare. That would be hell, in fact.
I love your bluntness.
(Laughs) I frequently regret the things I say in interviews. Not usually in the interview itself when it comes out, but what the Internet now does with interviews where it takes something, rinses off any humour or context, and puts it on the Internet as a piece of clickbait.
It does seem like you’re having more fun now than ever, both with your roles and otherwise.
I've enjoyed this part of my career most. I'm perfectly happy with what I'm doing now.