BANG Showbiz English
Hugh Grant says the upcoming ‘Dungeons and Dragons' movie is about a group of “losers”.
The 62-year-old actor – who plays Forge Fitzwilliam, aka The Rogue – was drawn to John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein's script because he felt it was all about the underdogs.
In an interview with co-star Chris Pine – who plays courageous bard Elgin – he told Collider: “I think maybe what I responded to most in their script was that it's about losers. This little band of comrades, they're all a bit crap. You are not great at being a bard.
“And the magician, played by Justice [Smith], is really bad. What do they call magicians in ‘Dungeons and Dragons'?
“Sorcerer. He's not much good. And Michelle [Rodriguez's] character has been thrown out of whatever. And is still in love with her husband, who is in love with someone else. And I responded to that loser-ish thing about this little band. Maybe that's an English predilection. We love a loser.”
And Chris, 42, revealed he loved working with directors Daley and Goldstein.
He said: “I mean, first of all, they're really funny guys. And they have a history of making really great comedy. They have good hearts. And their idea for how they wanted to tell the story, at least for me, was exactly what I like about big-budget filmmaking, which is not too cool for school. There's an earnest, real heart to it with a really sweet message. The comedy's really on point. The visual practical element was really neat. I think, especially nowadays with all the green screen, to do stuff practically with real monsters made by super craftsmen, and effects on set that you can feel, and touch, and interact with…
“And they are technicians. I mean, it takes a real samurai mind to figure out how to shoot a film of this size and scope. And you could feel them wanting to knock it out of the park. Their last film was Game Night, which is a third of the size and scope of this. And you could feel them really wanting to win. So I like their ambition, too.”