Most actors really love it, that's what they want to do. They burn to do it. And so they'll read a script and think, that's an interesting part. And because they love acting, that blinds them to the fact that the rest of it is pretentious nonsense, which it very often is.

He studied English literature and graduated with 2:1 honours. Grant's first studio-financed Hollywood project was Chris Columbus's comedy Nine Months. Gone from the screen for two years Grant next reteamed with Paul Weitz (About a Boy) for the black comedy American Dreamz (2006).

The entertainment media's coverage of Grant's life off the big screen has often overshadowed his work as a thespian. In a career spanning 30 years Grant has repeatedly claimed that acting is not a true calling but just a job he fell into. He later played against type with multiple cameo roles in the epic drama film Cloud Atlas (2012).