Hugh Grant’s Best Villain Performances, Ranked

Summary

• Hugh Grant has successfully transitioned into playing villains in his later career, showcasing his comedic timing in darker roles.
• Grant’s portrayal of characters like Daniel Cleaver and Phoenix Buchanan highlight his ability to balance charm with villainy.
• Recent projects like “Operation Fortune” and “Dungeons & Dragons” show Grant’s versatility as a character actor, embracing humor in his villainous roles.

Throughout the past few decades, Hugh Grant has successfully transformed his career to suit his typecasting for his new stage of life, and it seems that he was destined to play the villain. Of course, every project he takes on still contains a hint of whimsy and humor, as Grant can’t help but slip his comedic timing into all his work. However, audiences are seeing Grant cast in movies as the antagonist more than ever, and it begs the question of if he’ll ever go back. Grant seems to be having fun taking on villainous roles wherever he can.

While this is a harsher reality for actresses than for actors, Grant still isn’t afforded the same opportunity in the romance movie department.

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Grant was in some of the best movies from the golden age of rom-coms, but it’s been a long time since he played the well-meaning leading man. Part of this is due to the fact that cinema, especially Hollywood, doesn’t provide many leading roles for older actors. While this is a harsher reality for actresses than for actors, Grant still isn’t afforded the same opportunity in the romance movie department. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as he shines as a slimy antagonist and character actor, giving some of his best performances as the evil villain.

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8 Daniel Cleaver – Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)

Cleaver was an early foray into villainy and still within the rom-com genre.

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Before this, Grant had almost exclusively played sweet and charismatic love interests in romance movies and had never gotten to step out of line as the bad boy.

Bridget Jones’s Diary was a unique take on the rom-com in 2001, as its heroine was more realistic and relatable than many of the characters who populate the genre. Before this, Grant had almost exclusively played sweet and charismatic love interests in romance movies and had never gotten to step out of line as the bad boy. This all changed when he was cast as Daniel Cleaver, the secondary love interest of Bridget, who’s all wrong for her and hurts her at every turn.

It was the perfect transitional move for Grant, as he was still a love interest, but he wasn’t the guy that Bridget would end up with in the end. This movie and character were the first indications that Grant could play someone with ill intent, and he is one of the highlights of the film. He balances providing sex appeal and charisma with terrible actions that make the audience struggle with their love-hate relationship with him. While Daniel isn’t pure evil, he’s certainly a villain in his own right.

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Based on the novel by Helen Fielding, the rom-com Bridget Jones’s Diary revolves around a 32-year-old single woman who keeps a diary of her life and romantic encounters. Starring Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant, the 2001 movie was a massive commercial and critical success.

Director Sharon Maguire Release Date April 13, 2001 Studio(s) Universal Pictures Cast Renée Zellweger , Gemma Jones , Celia Imrie , James Faulkner , Jim Broadbent , Colin Firth Runtime 97 Minutes

7 Many Characters – Cloud Atlas (2012)

His portrayal of some of these characters stirred up controversy.

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Cloud Atlas is a mind-bending sci-fi movie by the Wachowski sisters and Tom Tykwer that follows a group of actors who take on many roles in a story that transcends space and time. Spanning generations and settings, Cloud Atlas sees its characters play roles outside of their races and genders to explore the passage of the human soul through different physical forms. While this is a stirring sentiment on paper, it did lead to some backlash, especially regarding one of Grant’s roles.

As a cannibal Kona Chief, Grant crosses swords with one of Tom Hanks’ characters, and while the action is strong, Grant’s character shouldn’t have been played by a white actor. While it could have been an interesting role, and Grant does a good job in many other aspects of the film, his portrayal of the Chief is hard to watch. However, playing this character did lead to further action and villain opportunities, propelling him into the next phase of his career.

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David Mitchell’s novel gets the big screen treatment with Cloud Atlas, a sci-fi action adventure epic that stars several actors as protagonists across multiple storylines. Six tales in all are told as actors play different characters in each one; from a dystopian Korea to a space-faring adventure, one soul is tossed between bodies as they experience several different lives.

Director Tom Tykwer , Lilly Wachowski , Lana Wachowski Release Date October 26, 2012 Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Cast Tom Hanks , Halle Berry , Jim Broadbent , Hugo Weaving , Jim Sturgess , Doona Bae Runtime 172minutes

6 Greg Simmonds – Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre (2023)

The charismatic playboy Greg Simmonds is a natural fit for Grant.

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This characterizes Simmonds as more of a humorous villain than anything else.

Grant and director Guy Ritchie would prove to be a lucrative pair creatively and at the box office, as Grant has appeared in many of the espionage thrillers that Ritchie is famous for. After first collaborating with Grant as part of the cast and characters in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., it was clear that Grant fit right into the humor and aesthetics that define Ritchie’s work. In their most recent project, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, Grant plays Greg Simmonds, a ruthless and rich arms dealer.

Equal parts slimy and unscrupulous, Simmonds is after a priceless piece of weapons technology, and it’s up to the heroes to stop him from getting his hands on it. Like any great villain, Simmonds rarely does his own dirty work and prefers to hire skilled individuals to acquire the weapon for him. Of course, there’s a moment when a reluctant partnership must form between the protagonists and Simmonds, and it’s clear that he’s more after money and power than he is interested in violence. This characterizes Simmonds as more of a humorous villain than anything else.

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Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is an action-comedy film directed by Guy Ritchie. The movie stars Jason Statham as elite spy Orson Fortune, who must track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology. Fortune teams up with a group of operatives and enlists the help of a Hollywood movie star, played by Josh Hartnett, to infiltrate circles surrounding the deal. The cast also includes Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes, and Hugh Grant.

Director Guy Ritchie Release Date March 17, 2022 Cast Jason Statham , Aubrey Plaza , Josh Hartnett , Cary Elwes , Hugh Grant , Kaan Urgancioglu Runtime 114 Minutes

5 Jeremy Thorpe – A Very English Scandal (2018)

This miniseries follows the story of a real scandal that shook the British government.

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Though Grant rarely graces the small screen with television roles, he has taken on a few in miniseries’ that have allowed him to do exciting character work. In A Very English Scandal, Grant plays the real public figure, Jeremy Thorpe, who was accused and then acquired of hiring someone to kill his ex-partner, Norman Scott. Scott, played by Ben Whishaw, plays off the veteran Grant very well, even as Thorpe stoops so low as to conspire to have him murdered. The life of Jeremy Thorpe is dramatized by the series, but even on its own, it would be compelling.

In some ways, the entire story is a tragedy, as it’s the effects of both external and internal homophobia that led Thorpe to such extreme measures. While Thorpe’s actions against Scott make him the villain, the audience still feels for him as his life is destroyed because of his sexuality. However, it’s the choices he makes that seal his fate. The creator and writer behind the series, Russel T. Davies, is best known for his work on Doctor Who, and the nuanced villains that he wrote on the sci-fi series were the building blocks for Jeremy Thorpe.

A Very English Scandal (2018) TV-14ComedyCrimeBiography

In 2018’s A Very English Scandal, viewers are immersed in a scandalous true story set in 1960s Britain. The series delves into the downfall of Jeremy Thorpe, a prominent politician accused of plotting to murder his former lover, Norman Scott. Through captivating performances and intense storytelling, the show explores power dynamics and the lengths individuals will go to preserve their reputation and influence.

Cast Hugh Grant , Ben Whishaw , Alex Jennings , Patricia Hodge , Paul Hilton , Naomi Battrick , Andrew French , Morgan Watkins Release Date June 29, 2018 Seasons 1

4 Forge Fitzwilliam – Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Charming and despicable, Grant fits into the fantastical world.

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As the story unfolds, it’s revealed that Forge has done more than insert himself as lord of the kingdom and undermine Edgin.

In his early career, there were few examples of Grant leaving the comedy or drama genres to dip his toe into sci-fi or fantasy. However, this has changed drastically in the past few years with films like Wonka, Paddington 2, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. While Chris Pine cuts a striking figure as the protagonist, Edgin, Grant holds all the cards as Forge Fitzwilliam, the con artist and scoundrel who turns Edgin’s daughter against him.

As the story unfolds, it’s revealed that Forge has done more than insert himself as lord of the kingdom and undermine Edgin. He’s also let a Red Wizard influence him and hold power. Since the story of Dungeons & Dragons unfolds similarly to a fairy tale, Forge gets what he deserves in the end, and the heroes prevail. While Forge is a funny and upbeat antagonist who’s more of a pawn than a real villain, it would have been interesting to see more development of his character.

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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a fantasy action-comedy film based on the popular tabletop game and set in the Forgotten Realms campaign by the original creators. Chris Pine stars as a song-slinging thief named Edgin Darvis, who is hired to find a lost relic but manages to anger the wrong people along the way. With his mismatched crew, each inspired by a race and class from D&D lore, Edgin will lead his team to complete their task – and many innocent lives depend on it.

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Director Jonathan Goldstein , John Francis Daley Release Date March 31, 2023 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures , Hasbro , Entertainment One Cast Hugh Grant , Rege-Jean Page , Chris Pine , Justice Smith , Chloe Coleman , Michelle Rodriguez , Sophia Lillis Runtime 134 Minutes Franchise(s) Dungeons & Dragons Expand

3 Fletcher – The Gentlemen (2019)

Grant is a strong addition to this ensemble crime movie with roots in gangster cinema.

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Though Ritchie would later helm the TV series The Gentlemen in 2024, he first used the title for his 2019, which serves as a precursor to the series. In the film, an enormous cast of characters is intertwined in England’s underground drug business, with Matthew McConaughey at the center as Michael Pearson, the head of one of the most successful marijuana businesses in the country. He comes across Fletcher, Grant’s character, after word of Pearson’s empire is leaked, and Fletcher is hired as a private detective.

Though Fletcher isn’t the most violent or sadistic villain in the movie, he’s the most slippery, as he frequently escapes and is only looking out for himself. This makes sense, as Grant wouldn’t be believable as hired muscle or a sadistic killer, as his true power lies in his intellect. Sneaking around and gathering information is what Fletcher does best, and Grant easily embodies this conniving spirit. Thanks to the movie’s success and the strong characters, the spinoff TV series has found a strong following.

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From writer/director Guy Ritchie comes The Gentleman, an action/crime comedy that follows a prominent American cannabis dealer in London as he attempts to leave the industry for good. When word gets out that the dealer is looking to sell off his business, several opportunists emerge from the woodwork, employing every manner of schemes and ploys they can to undercut him and claim the market for themselves. 

Director Guy Ritchie Release Date January 24, 2020 Cast Henry Golding , Jeremy Strong , Matthew McConaughey , Colin Farrell , Hugh Grant , Charlie Hunnam , Michelle Dockery Runtime 113 minutes

2 Jonathan Fraser – The Undoing (2020)

In his darkest role to date, Grant is unrecognizable.

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The slow-burn and consistent red herrings in
The Undoing
keep the audiences guessing about who the killer could be and if it’s really Grant’s character, Jonathan.

The Undoing sees Grant as a truly despicable character alongside Nicole Kidman in the HBO miniseries that took viewers by storm in 2020. He and Kidman play a husband and wife whose perfect life is upended after the murder of a fellow parent they know. The slow-burn and consistent red herrings in The Undoing keep the audiences guessing about who the killer could be and if it’s really Grant’s character, Jonathan. For most of the episodes, all signs point to his guilt, but he seems truthful and empathetic, especially in his communications with Grace (Kidman).

He makes his wife question his motivations and later reveals that not only is he the killer, but he is also the father of the dead woman’s son, making it clear that he’s a monster. Throughout the show, Jonathan’s lies and manipulations build, making it impossible to trust him, and it’s thanks to Grant that there’s any mystery surrounding his motivations at all. While the story makes it clear that Jonathan is the killer, it’s Grant who plants the seed of doubt and makes the audience desperate to believe in his innocence.

The Undoing

1 Phoenix Buchanan – Paddington 2 (2017)

Stylish, witty, and dastardly, Phoenix is a whimsical villain for a heartfelt film.

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Paddington 2 is considered one of the best movies of 2017 and one of the best movies of all time by some of its most loyal audience members. After the joyful story of the first film, Paddington 2 goes even deeper and pulls on the viewer’s heartstrings with every frame. Phoenix Buchanan is inarguably Grant’s best role as a villain, and it’s also very close to the top of his best roles in any film. He goes through solid character development and has just enough of a charming spark to make the audience gleeful every time he’s on screen.

Though it’s unlikely that Grant will return for Paddington in Peru, the third film in the series is highly anticipated, and it’s thanks to the amazing performance of Paddington 2 that this is possible. The button of the film, which sees Phoenix learn to love being in prison because he finally gets to be in the theater, is the perfect ending to a film with a tight story from beginning to end. Hugh Grant’s career was refreshed and revived when he was cast as Phoenix and made history with Paddington 2.

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Paddington 2 brings back the adventurous bear, who gets caught up in a heist and is wrongfully accused of stealing a valuable book. Starring Hugh Grant, Sally Hawkins, and Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington Bear, the 2017 sequel earned overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Director Paul King Release Date January 12, 2018 Studio(s) StudioCanal Cast Hugh Grant , Ben Whishaw , Hugh Bonneville , Jim Broadbent , Imelda Staunton , Julie Walters , Brendan Gleeson , Peter Capaldi , Sally Hawkins Runtime 104 Minutes Sequel(s) Paddington in Peru prequel(s) Paddington Expand

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