Richard Curtis wanted Alan Rickman for Four Weddings lead, as Hugh Grant was 'too posh and annoying'

Richard Curtis thought that Hugh Grant was ‘too posh and too annoying’ to be the lead in classic Brit romcom Four Weddings and a Funeral.

In fact, he wanted Alan Rickman to be his romantic fool of a hero instead, but it wasn’t to be.

Speaking at the Cheltenham Literary Festival, Curtis revealed how his plans were overruled.

“We auditioned 70 people. Eventually it was down to Hugh and Alan Rickman and I went for Alan but I was outvoted,” he said.

“I just thought Hugh was a bit annoying, too good looking, a bit posh. I was right about all of those things but he is also very good.”

Hugh Grant played Charles, the foppish, socially awkward love interest for Andie MacDowell’s Carrie, his breakthrough role.

Rickman did end up being key to Curtis’s later movie, however, Love Actually, which Curtis also revealed was made up of ideas he had for separate films.

“Two of the sub plots were supposed to be separate films” he went on.

“The Hugh one I had an idea for a long time ago and you would have seen him coming into power and issues around that. And the Colin one he was going to go on holiday with his girlfriend then split up.

“Those two were intended to be very unsuccessful films so I am very glad I managed to squeeze all the good bits out of them – 12 minutes each – it to Love Actually.”

The much-missed Rickman died at the age of 69 in 2016.

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