Hugh Grant calls Drew Barrymore a ‘horrendous’ singer, slams ‘nauseating’ Notting Hill scene

It’s one of the most popular rom-coms of all time, but lead star Hugh Grant couldn’t stomach one of its most iconic scenes. Photo / Getty Images

Following his rude interaction with Ashley Graham at the Oscars, Hugh Grant seems to be hell bent on insulting pretty much everyone else in the Hollywood - including fans of the ever-iconic Notting Hill, former co-star Drew Barrymore, and even a bystander on set.

The British actor recently made an appearance in a Wired interview and was joined by his fellow castmates from the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez, according to New York Post.

The Four Weddings and a Funeral star poked fun at Drew Barrymore in the interview, slamming her singing voice while filming their 2007 romantic comedy Music & Lyrics.

“I’m auto-tuned a bit, but not as much as some,” Grant revealed of the musical flick.

“Drew Barrymore was in that film with me and I don’t think she’d mind me saying her singing is just horrendous. I’ve heard dogs bark better than she sings,” he confessed.

However, after “they tuned her up,” Grant said the Charlie’s Angels actress “sounded way better than me because she’s got heart and voice and rock ‘n’ roll”.

Hugh Grant starred in Music and Lyrics with Drew Barrymore. Photo / IMDB

Later on in the interview, the Love Actually star recalled the finale of his 1999 hit Notting Hill and described the scene as “nauseating”.

Notting Hill stars Julia Roberts as Anna Scott, an actress who falls head over heels for Hugh Grant’s William Thacker, who owns a quaint bookshop in Notting Hill.

The last scene shows the love birds in a park, where Thacker reads the book, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, which didn’t have any significance to the film but was a sneaky little easter egg left by director Roger Michell.

“In that nauseating moment on the bench at the end, I’m reading Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières, which was going to be his next film,” Grant divulged. “So it’s a little in-joke from Roger Michell, God rest his soul.”

Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant and Emma Chambers in Notting Hill. Photo / Supplied

In 2021, Michell died at the age of 65. He was originally set to direct the film version of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, however he stepped back from the movie after suffering a heart attack in 1999.

The movie went ahead without him and was instead directed by John Madden. Released in 2001, the film starred Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz in the lead roles.

As the interview went on, Grant revealed even more questionable moments in his acting career. While filming Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Grant confessed that he mistook a “nice local woman” for a film executive and went berserk on her.

He told Total Film magazine that he “did a Christian Bale” and lost his cool while on set. In 2009, Bale made headlines when he went on an explosive rant and was aggressive towards a crew member on the set of Terminator Salvation.

Model Ashley Graham interviews Hugh Grant at the 95th Academy Awards in Hollywood. Photo / ABC

“I lost my temper with a woman in my eyeline on day one,” Grant admitted. “I assumed she was some executive from the studio who should have known better. Then it turns out that she’s an extremely nice local woman who was the chaperone of the young girl. Terrible. A lot of grovelling …”

The English actor went viral at the Oscars for being rude towards interviewer Ashley Graham and allegedly rolling his eyes at her questions. Their controversial conversation made waves on social media, with many users labeling Grant as an “a**ehole”.