
PARIS - Romantic comedies made Hugh Grant one of the most famous men in the world, but he has a few doubts about their premise.
"The big question is whether the whole idea of a man and a woman belonging together -- and this being something we are all desperate for -- is true, or a big fat lie," Grant told reporters in Paris, where he was promoting his new film, fantasy blockbuster "Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Amongst Thieves".
"And I have a feeling it might be a big fat lie -- despite having made a whole career and fortune out of it.
"I mean, how many really happy relationships do you know? There's not many," he continued. "All those romantic comedies I made -- it would be very interesting to have the sequel now, which would presumably start with the divorce lawyers."
As usual, there was a large dollop of mischief in Grant's comments.
But in a separate interview with AFP, the 62-year-old struck a more serious tone when asked if he had been ambitious during his earlier years.
"I wish I had been more ambitious. I wish I'd had sharper elbows," he said, suddenly dropping his usual tongue-in-cheek delivery.
"Honestly, I think I've been too lackadaisical. I could have tried much harder when I was very bankable and popular in Hollywood," he told AFP.
"I could have made any film I wanted... but really I just wanted to watch the football."
The self-doubt is nothing new -- Grant has been somewhat ambivalent about his fame ever since "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill" made him the world's favourite bumbling Brit in the 1990s.
But lately, he seems re-energised by more villainous and more satisfying roles, playing the bad guy in "Paddington 2", HBO's "The Undoing", and now as a power-hungry criminal in "Dungeons and Dragons".
"Slimy villains do suit me rather well," he said with a chuckle.
"I have enjoyed myself a bit for the first time in the last six or seven years since I got too old and ugly to be the hero.
"Actually it's how I began -- doing characters and silly voices. And suddenly I got side-tracked into being a leading man, and I never thought I was particularly well-suited to that.
"It's really difficult being the lead guy, the hero," he added. "Well-paid, but hard."