Luke Grimes (L); Hugh Grant.Photo:getty (2)
getty (2)
Luke Grimesis taking notes from one of the rom-com greats —Hugh Grant!
TheYellowstonestar, 39, makes his romantic-comedy debut alongsideEllie Kemperin the newNetflixmovieHappiness for Beginners. In an interview conducted before theSAG-AFTRA strike, the actor reveals to PEOPLE that his favorite movie in the genre isNotting Hill, starring Grant, 62, andJulia Roberts.
Also citingFour Weddingsand a Funeralas a favorite, Grimes says, “I think Hugh Grant was the romantic-comedy God.”
“I think he was so good at what he did in those movies,” he adds. “I was like, ‘I’m going to do my best to try to be Hugh Grant,’ because he was always the straight man, but he was funny enough on his own.”
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In Grimes' mind, Grant — who also notably starred inLove Actually,Mickey Blue Eyesand theBridget Jones’s Diaryfilms, among other rom-coms — had the right amount of humor in his roles, and was “not too funny that it took away from the funny characters.”
“He had just enough that he was perfect,” the actor says. “You actually believed him and felt for him and had a lot of empathy for him. So he was sort of my North Star [in] trying to do this movie.”
InHappiness for Beginners, Grimes plays Jake, a doctor who connects with the recently divorced Helen (Kemper, 43) while they’re on a wilderness retreat — and romance ranks among the bottom of the list of things on their respective minds.
While Grimes is no stranger to romance on the big screen, having appeared as Elliot Grey in theFifty Shades of Greyfilm series,Happiness for Beginnersmarks his first-ever foray into the world of romantic comedy, which is a genre he has long desired to explore.
“I always wanted to do a romantic comedy. It was on my bucket list, because I always skew a little more dramatic and a little more intense,” the Ohio native says. “There’s enough bad stuff in the world. And I read the script and I was like, ‘I think I could do this.’ “
Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes in Netflix’sHappiness for Beginners(2023).Barbara Nitke/NETFLIX
Barbara Nitke/NETFLIX
“I didn’t know if I’d be any good. But in this room when we’re rehearsing with all these really funny people, they accepted me into their circle, and I got to watch them be really funny and try it myself,” theBrothers & Sistersalum shares.
One big lesson he learned making the film? “It’s okay to do things that maybe aren’t right up your alley,” Grimes says. “Sometimes you can try different things, and I always wanted to do something like that, and I really, really enjoyed it. And they were very kind to me to let me try to.”
Of why he “love(s) romantic comedies,” the actor adds, “I understandthe reason for themand I understand why they exist, because sometimes I just want to watch something a little lighter and a little more happy and go to bed with good dreams instead of bad ones.”
Happiness for Beginnersis now streaming on Netflix.
For more from Luke Grimes, pick up the latest issue ofPEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
source: people.com
