The low-budget romcom about Britain’s upper middle classes launched the careers of its writer Richard Curtis and Grant. Cast and crew share their stories – from Liz Hurley in that dress to Amber Rudd’s role as an ‘aristocracy coordinator’
It’s been 30 years since audiences first met Hugh Grant as a stuttering serial monogamist who falls hopelessly in love with a glamorous American (Andie MacDowell) in Four Weddings and a Funeral. The low-budget romcom, directed by Mike Newell and scripted by Richard Curtis, came out of nowhere to become a global hit when it was released in 1994.
Based on Curtis’s own experiences of being a guest at a seemingly endless merry-go-round of weddings, the film follows Grant’s sweary, bumbling Charles and his group of friends – which includes his deaf brother – as they navigate love, loss and grief. From the first “fuck” uttered by Grant as he wakes...
It’s been 30 years since audiences first met Hugh Grant as a stuttering serial monogamist who falls hopelessly in love with a glamorous American (Andie MacDowell) in Four Weddings and a Funeral. The low-budget romcom, directed by Mike Newell and scripted by Richard Curtis, came out of nowhere to become a global hit when it was released in 1994.
Based on Curtis’s own experiences of being a guest at a seemingly endless merry-go-round of weddings, the film follows Grant’s sweary, bumbling Charles and his group of friends – which includes his deaf brother – as they navigate love, loss and grief. From the first “fuck” uttered by Grant as he wakes...
- 5/7/2024
- by Ann Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
BBC Buys HBO Max Thriller ‘Spy/Master’
The BBC has acquired HBO Max thriller Spy/Master as it continues to beef up its iPlayer offering. Acquired from Warner Bros. Discovery, the show stars Happy Valley’s Alec Secăreanu as the most trusted advisor to Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu. With his government poised to uncover that he’s a secret agent for the Soviets, Godeanu uses a diplomatic trip to Germany as a springboard to defect to the U.S. The series also stars Aidan McArdle, Ana Ularu (Who Is Erin Carter?), Laurențiu Bănescu (Boss), Andreea Vasile (Umbre), Nico Mirallegro (Our Girl), lulian Postelnicu (Arest) and Elvira Deatcu (Clanul). “A classic spy drama set at the height of the Cold War, Spy/Master is an atmospheric, complex thriller, dripping with style and suspense,” said Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition. The show was nominated for the inaugural...
The BBC has acquired HBO Max thriller Spy/Master as it continues to beef up its iPlayer offering. Acquired from Warner Bros. Discovery, the show stars Happy Valley’s Alec Secăreanu as the most trusted advisor to Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu. With his government poised to uncover that he’s a secret agent for the Soviets, Godeanu uses a diplomatic trip to Germany as a springboard to defect to the U.S. The series also stars Aidan McArdle, Ana Ularu (Who Is Erin Carter?), Laurențiu Bănescu (Boss), Andreea Vasile (Umbre), Nico Mirallegro (Our Girl), lulian Postelnicu (Arest) and Elvira Deatcu (Clanul). “A classic spy drama set at the height of the Cold War, Spy/Master is an atmospheric, complex thriller, dripping with style and suspense,” said Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition. The show was nominated for the inaugural...
- 3/27/2024
- by Max Goldbart and Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
The Four Weddings and a Funeral screenplay writer didn’t want actor Hugh Grant in the starring role of the film because he was too handsome.
Writer Richard Curtis actively campaigned against Grant in the lead role of Charles, a floppy-haired young professional whose fear of commitment turns to love for a certain wedding guest. Curtis had nothing against Grant, but he didn’t envision him as Charles who has a history of being a serial dater.
“I was worried about it. When Hugh did first come in, I did think he was too handsome. I thought people would not believe the fact he was in trouble with girls because he so clearly wouldn’t be. So that’s why he pushed the sort of doubtfulness and lack of confidence,” he told Daily Mail.
“He was by far the best person who auditioned but I still voted against him when...
Writer Richard Curtis actively campaigned against Grant in the lead role of Charles, a floppy-haired young professional whose fear of commitment turns to love for a certain wedding guest. Curtis had nothing against Grant, but he didn’t envision him as Charles who has a history of being a serial dater.
“I was worried about it. When Hugh did first come in, I did think he was too handsome. I thought people would not believe the fact he was in trouble with girls because he so clearly wouldn’t be. So that’s why he pushed the sort of doubtfulness and lack of confidence,” he told Daily Mail.
“He was by far the best person who auditioned but I still voted against him when...
- 8/17/2023
- by Gina Ragusa
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Former U.K. culture secretary Nicky Morgan has emerged as an early frontrunner for the position of chair of public service broadcaster BBC, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.
The incumbent David Clementi’s five-year term ends in February. Variety understands that the process of appointing the next BBC chair is high on current culture secretary Oliver Dowden’s list, with an announcement likely in October.
Morgan is understood to be in a shortlist of two for the position, at Number 10, Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s office, with the other person likely to be a technocrat.
“Number 10 has to decide if they want someone who will bash a few heads together, or somebody who is going to nudge things along but not necessarily do it confrontationally,” a source told the Daily Telegraph.
“Number 10 is obsessed with the tech people so it could be someone with a tech digital background,...
The incumbent David Clementi’s five-year term ends in February. Variety understands that the process of appointing the next BBC chair is high on current culture secretary Oliver Dowden’s list, with an announcement likely in October.
Morgan is understood to be in a shortlist of two for the position, at Number 10, Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s office, with the other person likely to be a technocrat.
“Number 10 has to decide if they want someone who will bash a few heads together, or somebody who is going to nudge things along but not necessarily do it confrontationally,” a source told the Daily Telegraph.
“Number 10 is obsessed with the tech people so it could be someone with a tech digital background,...
- 8/17/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Keeley Hawes has cornered the market in playing complex characters, but off-screen is there a role for life’s simpler pleasures? She talks to Rebecca Nicholson about the joys of TV, meeting her husband on set – and caravanning with Emma Bunton
A couple of months ago, Keeley Hawes was in the Wolseley on London’s Piccadilly, about to have lunch, when she saw a familiar face across the room. She was meeting her husband, the actor Matthew Macfadyen. “I went, ‘My God, it’s Amber Rudd,’” she whispers. In the television juggernaut that was BBC One’s Bodyguard, Hawes was Julia Montague, the ill-fated home secretary who took no nonsense, though she took a shine to her security detail, played by Richard Madden. She had researched Rudd for the role, and the similarities did not go unnoticed. But the pair were yet to meet.
Rudd had been complimentary about Hawes...
A couple of months ago, Keeley Hawes was in the Wolseley on London’s Piccadilly, about to have lunch, when she saw a familiar face across the room. She was meeting her husband, the actor Matthew Macfadyen. “I went, ‘My God, it’s Amber Rudd,’” she whispers. In the television juggernaut that was BBC One’s Bodyguard, Hawes was Julia Montague, the ill-fated home secretary who took no nonsense, though she took a shine to her security detail, played by Richard Madden. She had researched Rudd for the role, and the similarities did not go unnoticed. But the pair were yet to meet.
Rudd had been complimentary about Hawes...
- 2/17/2019
- by Rebecca Nicholson
- The Guardian - Film News
Jed Mercurio, creator of BBC breakout drama Bodyguard, is eyeing a second season of the terror thriller after stellar opening ratings and an endorsement from former Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
The six-part drama, which stars Game Of Thrones alum Richard Madden and Line Of Duty‘s Keeley Hawes, opened with 6.7M (35%) overnight viewers for its first episode and remained steady at 6.4M (30%) for its second episode.
The World Productions thriller is set in and around the corridors of power and tells the story of a heroic but volatile war veteran assigned to protect the Home Secretary whose politics run contrary to his own.
Rudd, writing in the Sunday Times, said Hawes portrayal of Home Secretary was “fierce” and “unapologetic”. “She has the hard side you need to smash a glass ceiling, but is able to turn on a personable, credible approach where necessary,” she added.
Mercurio responded by thanking Rudd...
The six-part drama, which stars Game Of Thrones alum Richard Madden and Line Of Duty‘s Keeley Hawes, opened with 6.7M (35%) overnight viewers for its first episode and remained steady at 6.4M (30%) for its second episode.
The World Productions thriller is set in and around the corridors of power and tells the story of a heroic but volatile war veteran assigned to protect the Home Secretary whose politics run contrary to his own.
Rudd, writing in the Sunday Times, said Hawes portrayal of Home Secretary was “fierce” and “unapologetic”. “She has the hard side you need to smash a glass ceiling, but is able to turn on a personable, credible approach where necessary,” she added.
Mercurio responded by thanking Rudd...
- 8/28/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Home Secretary was given the title as a way to be paid while working as an extra on hit Hugh Grant comedy
Amber Rudd has revealed that she worked as an “aristocracy coordinator” on hit British film Four Weddings and a Funeral because the film-makers could not afford to pay extras.
The Home Secretary said a “friend of a friend” asked her to arrange for people in “smart wedding outfits” to appear in the background during the wedding scenes of the movie, which stars Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell.
Continue reading...
Amber Rudd has revealed that she worked as an “aristocracy coordinator” on hit British film Four Weddings and a Funeral because the film-makers could not afford to pay extras.
The Home Secretary said a “friend of a friend” asked her to arrange for people in “smart wedding outfits” to appear in the background during the wedding scenes of the movie, which stars Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell.
Continue reading...
- 10/3/2016
- by Press Association
- The Guardian - Film News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.