Hugh Grant 'took a little courting' to play villain role in horror film, say Heretic directors

Directors of upcoming horror film Heretic have spoken of how they were able to convince former romcom staple Hugh Grant to play a twisted villain.

A trailer shows Grant as Mr Reed, a seemingly pleasant and mild mannered man who shows his true colours when he detains and then imprisons two female Mormon door knockers.

Heretic is set to be released in cinemas from November 15 and also stars Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East as the Latter Day Saints who knock on the wrong door.

Writer and director pair Scott Beck and Bryan Woods have explained how they were able to see the potential for a dark side to Four Weddings and Notting Hill actor Grant.

“Hugh is certainly having a renaissance and we’re so grateful to be a part of that journey,” Beck told Screen Daily.

“When we saw Four Weddings And A Funeral, we were too young to understand the idiosyncratic nature of that movie and Richard Curtis’s work, but there was this standout performance by Hugh Grant.”

Arthouse production company A24 is behind the film and fans are excited to see this latest side to Grant, who has recently played a depressed actor in Unfrosted and an Oompa Loompa in Wonka.

The actor is apparently not done with the romcom game just yet, however, having signed on to play Daniel Cleaver once more in next year’s Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

“He did take a little courting,” Woods said of trying to persuade Grant to take the role.

“A lot of A-listers were raising their hand to play this role… [But with Grant] we just felt it was the right choice.

“He’s extremely intelligent and brought a lot of interesting thoughts on religion.”

Beck added: “He’s the truest collaborator in the sense that he did his homework ahead of time and therefore the decisions on set were very laser-focused.”