Hugh Grant has shared his feelings about his involvement in the upcoming Bridget Jones movie, revealing that he felt “crammed in” as there was “no obvious role” for him. The film, titled Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, is set to be the fourth instalment of the popular franchise and is scheduled to hit cinemas on Valentine’s Day next year. The story, based on the 2013 book of the same name, follows Renée Zellweger as a newly single mother-of-two navigating the challenges of modern dating.
The Bridget Jones movies, adapted from the books by Helen Fielding, enjoyed immense success throughout the 2000s and 2010s, even earning Zellweger an Oscar nomination. The original cast included Zellweger as Bridget, Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth as Mark Darcy. Speculation had been rife about Grant and Firth reprising their roles for the new film, with Grant confirming his participation in an interview with Vanity Fair earlier this year. Grant subsequently admitted that while he was squeezed into the storyline, his role initially didn’t make much sense.
Speaking on The Graham Norton Show, Grant described the script as “good and moving” and highlighted its blend of humour and sadness. He remarked, “There was no obvious role for me, but I was crammed in.” To avoid having a 60-year-old Daniel Cleaver pursuing young women, Grant came up with an interim story for his character. Notably, Grant did not feature in the 2004 sequel, The Edge of Reason, explaining to Vanity Fair that he couldn’t find a suitable place for his character in that film.
Initially hesitant about joining the fourth instalment due to reservations about his character’s storyline, Grant eventually changed his mind after being given the opportunity to write some scenes for the movie. Despite only working for a week on the project, he praised the film as “absolutely the best” and predicted that audiences would find it both funny and touching. On his role in the film, Grant revealed, “I’m not in a lot, I did a week’s work, that’s it … But when you see the film, you’ll be very moved.”
Unlike Grant, Firth’s character seems unlikely to return for the sequel, as his character’s story has been concluded in the books. The extent to which the movie will adhere to the source material remains unclear, adding an element of suspense for fans eagerly awaiting the film’s release.