Many actors report that they can hardly stand watching their own movies afterwards. One person who needs to stay particularly strong is Hugh Grant. In an ABC News special, Grant talks about how embarrassed he was filming the dance scene on Love Actually. “I saw it in the script and I thought I was going to hate doing this”explained the Hollywood star.
In the scene, Grant, in his role as prime minister, dances around his official residence to “Jump (For My Love)”. While many viewers have a heart for the scene, others find it one of the most terrifying of them all. This is also the case for Grant, who twenty years later still cannot get used to his dance performance. Probably also because he lost his rhythm at the beginning of the scene, as Grant himself reports.
Here you can watch the performance in peace:
Director Richard Curtis had fun with it
Director Richard Curtis also remembers shooting the scene well. Grant had been in a bad mood all day and was probably hoping that Curtis would spontaneously get sick. It didn’t come to that, the shooting took place. When Grant started dancing, Curtis expressed his satisfaction: “I was fine with him doing it. And two, it’s terribly embarrassing.”
While Curtis enjoyed the scene, it took a lot out of Grant. After all, his shame has led to a creative idea that completes the picture: in the end, the dancing prime minister is caught by his secretary. Whether it’s embarrassing or not – we’re always happy when the dancing leg gets swung in movies!