‘We’ve Been Blown Away By…’: Heretic Directors Open Up About Hugh Grant’s Villainous Character
Hugh Grant’s performance in Heretic has been receiving praise from both audiences and critics for its dark and psychological storyline, as well as for the actor’s portrayal of a sinister character.
While Grant is mostly known to play soft characters like in the movies Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral, the fans have gotten to see a completely different side of the actor, which is brutal and horrifying.
Speaking about Grant’s role in Heretic, the film’s directors, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, shared that they were blown away by the actor’s portrayal of Mr. Reed. In an interview with Variety, the filmmakers explained that they decided to cast Grant after reflecting on his work in Cloud Atlas.
They revealed, “We’ve been blown away by Hugh—of course, we grew up watching all of his incredible romantic comedies.” Beck and Woods added, “But ten years ago, when we saw Cloud Atlas, we noticed him in the credits and realized he played all these different parts. It was so exciting to see an artist challenge themselves.”
The directors also disclosed that the Love Actually actor loves to take risks. More than they studied Grant, they claimed it was the actor himself who fully immersed in the character to understand him inside and out.
Woods mentioned that the team was constantly emailing Grant, trying to answer all his questions about Mr. Reed, including his motivations, religious beliefs, and background.
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The filmmaker went on to elaborate: “We sent at least 200 pages of emails back and forth discussing the topics in the movie. He really wanted to understand where we are coming from, what our history was with religion and philosophy, and where Reed was coming from.”
As for Heretic, the movie revolves around young missionaries, played by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, who get trapped in the deadly game of rat and mouse. The only way for them to make it out of the game alive is to have faith.
Heretic is running successfully in theaters.
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