He’s known for his perpetual role as bumbling English gent who “uhms” and “erms” every other line. He’s been in People magazine’s ‘Sexiest Men Alive’, alongside the likes of Johnny Depp and Justin Timberlake, but unlike Captain Jack and the self-proclaimed Prince of Pop, Mr Grant was one of us.
During his stint at New College, Bridget Jones’s antagonist once had his heart set on becoming an art historian. But after spending his nights drinking and debauching with the Bullingdon-esque Piers Gaveston Society, he failed to achieve the first class degree demanded of the Courtauld Institute, and fell back on acting.
He got his start in Oxford drama in the half-dozen line role of Fabian in a production of Twelfth Night. The pinnacle of his student drama days was Privileged, his big screen debut on the topic of the bed hopping of Oxford students (stick to what you know, eh?) which managed to get him spotted by a talent scout. Hughie was a fighter, and overcame the usual setbacks experienced by any emerging student actor – tiresome rehearsals, script fumblings, the ramen soup diet etc. But no hurdle was as monumental or as celestial as his role in Hamlet, which was performed entirely in velour Star Trek costumes, with flashy delta logo to match. We’re not sure Mr Spock would approve.
