Hugh Grant Reveals He Wrote Fan Favorite Daniel Cleaver Into ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’
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Whether you know Hugh Grant from his rom-com success in the ’90s with his charming roles in Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral or his recent bad boy turn in The Gentlemen and A Very English Scandal, you always think of him in relation to Christmas blockbuster Love Actually and delightful family film Paddington 2. All stellar choices, but none of them represent the real Grant, so to speak.
The role most like his actual personality is the charmingly sarcastic Daniel Cleaver. This character first made an appearance in the iconic Renée Zellweger-led flick, Bridget Jones’ Diary. He popped up again in the sequel, The Edge of Reason, which was presumed to be his last appearance in the series since he was not seen in the 2016 edition of Bridget Jones’s Baby.
As was alluded to in the last installment, Daniel didn’t actually die in a plane crash. He’s still alive, and more importantly, Grant will revive the role in the upcoming movie Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. Could Daniel have one last chance with Bridget?!
The seasoned actor is definitely a fan of the set-to-be-released Valentine’s Day rom-com considering he put in a lot of effort to be included. Opening up to Vanity Fair, Grant said that he loved Helen Fielding’s novel of the same name, as well as the script, even exclaiming that “it made me cry.” However, he wasn’t the biggest fan of his character’s part in the script.
So he took matters into his own hands. “They wanted him in it, and in the end, they’d done something I wasn’t crazy about,” the 64-year-old performer revealed. His answer to that was: “I wrote some scenes.” Now, the Hugh Grant version of Daniel Cleaver will be returning in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
Only having done a week’s worth of work, Grant won’t be in the movie that much, but it still sounds better than nothing. Maybe Grant’s take on Daniel will be different than his previous portrayals. Or maybe he hasn’t changed at all!
Sadly, Grant and Colin Firth, Bridget’s other love interest, won’t be sharing the screen this time around as Firth’s character Mark will not be returning. Mark died in the book, which will likely be explored in the fourth movie as Bridget forges a path forward. “You’ll be very moved,” Grant said about making Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy.
Bridget Jones stans have been waiting for the film adaptation of Mad About the Boy for years. And with Grant’s return, it’s now even more of a must-watch.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Valentine’s Day 2025, In Theaters and Streaming on Peacock
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