Hugh Grant has revealed he could be tempted to make a major career change, despite receiving ‘terrifying’ abuse when he delved into it in the past.
The esteemed actor, 63, said he would consider an unlikely move into politics even though he had been heavily criticized for venturing into it in the past.
Speak with Entertainment weekly, he said, “(Switching to politics) has crossed my mind. But what I really see up close is that it is almost impossible to actually get anything done. It’s just impossible.’
He continued: “I’ve had a bit of that before… but this was really extreme, shocking and threatening to your family.
Hugh added that he could be put off from entering politics by the knock-on effect it could have on those around him.
Hugh Grant has revealed he could be tempted to make a shocking career change, despite receiving ‘terrifying’ abuse when he looked into it in the past
The esteemed actor, 63, shared that he would consider an unlikely move into politics even though he had been heavily criticized for venturing into it in the past.
He added: “You have to take so many people with you. My wife’s mother is a politician. She was quite high up in the Swedish parliament.
“Every time the subject comes up, she just says, ‘Don’t do that.’ You have to water everything down. It’s all horse trading. And today the incoming abuse is unthinkable.”
This concerned his mother-in-law Susanne Eberstein, a former member of the Riksdag, who oversaw Sweden’s legislature from 1994 to 2019, and served as its first vice-president between 2010 and 2014.
Hugh married Susanne’s daughter Anna in 2018.
The big screen star said he might be somewhat scarred by his own performance in the run-up to the 2019 general election.
Although he decided to campaign to get people to vote tactically to prevent a Conservative majority blocking Brexit, he admitted he ‘did very poorly and ‘lost in every constituency’.
The actor said that while the abuse might prevent him from ever entering politics, he continued, “What was interesting was the abuse that came from the right. I never know if they are real or if they are bots. But they are good. They are brilliant at what they do.
Hugh’s mother-in-law is Susanne Eberstein (far left in photo), a former member of the Riksdag, which oversees Sweden’s legislature. Hugh married Susanne’s daughter Anna in 2018
The news comes after Hugh and Colin Firth agreed to reprise their roles Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy respectively in the fourth Bridget Jones film. Hugh, Renee Zellweger and Colin are pictured at the Berlin premiere of the original Bridget Jones film in 2001
‘So I can see that you have to be either very brave or insane to enter politics in the digital age.’
The news comes after Hugh and Colin Firth agreed to reprise their roles Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy respectively.
Firth and Grant have agreed to be part of the fourth – and likely final – Bridget Jones film, which begins filming in London in May and will once again star Renee Zellweger.
Sources say the directors are “ecstatic” that they both wanted to star in the film. An insider said it ‘wouldn’t have been the same’ without them, adding:
“Both men are in high demand, so having everything come together feels like a major coup. No matter how things turn out for Bridget, there will be some rollercoaster rides with these two men involved.”
