Hugh Grant thanks the Golden Globes for nominating him as a 'blatant gate crasher'

Every year, the Golden Globe nominations bring a bunch of surprises and snubs, but no one was more surprised this year than Hugh Grant himself. The actor was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy for his starring performance in Heretic, and he posted his gratitude on X (formerly Twitter) with a side of self-deprecation.

"Massive thanks to the Golden Globes for so warmly welcoming a blatant gate crasher," Grant wrote. "Also to Scott Beck and Bryan Woods for spotting my need to kill, and to A24 for sponsoring it."

Directed by Beck and Woods (who wrote A Quiet Place and directed last year's 65), Heretic stars Grant as Mr. Reed, a man who is visited by two Mormon missionaries played by Chloe East (The Fabelmans) and Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets). Although he seems nice and genial at first, he eventually reveals himself to be a sadistic atheist willing to go to great lengths to convince the women that God isn't real.

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In other words, Heretic is the latest entry in Grant's "villain era." The actor once known for rom-com heartthrob roles now routinely plays antagonists in projects like Paddington 2, The Undoing, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and Unfrosted.

"Every actor really prefers it," Grant recently told Entertainment Weekly about playing the bad guy. "I think you'd be hard pushed to find an actor or actress who says, 'I just like playing nice people.' They're tough and they're always borderline boring. They're very difficult, nice people or heroes. And there always seems to be more juice in an evil character. It's a fascinating discussion about why that is and why audiences, from the beginning of time, have always latched onto the villains sometimes when they don't really latch onto the good guy. So it's always tempting for an actor."

Heretic marks Grant's seventh nomination at the Golden Globes. He won his first for 1994's Four Weddings and a Funeral, and he was most recently nominated for a lead role in the 2020 HBO series The Undoing. That ceremony, which took place in 2021, was held virtually. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter at the time, Grant praised the typical Golden Globes atmosphere, which he'll get to enjoy in person once again this January.

"I do love Golden Globes night," Grant told THR then. "And my wife loves the Golden Globes trip. You know, we get to fly to L.A. from London and leave the children with her mother. Stay in a nice hotel. And sleep!"