“I really struggled with that”: Hugh Grant Needed Whiskey and Anxiety Medicine For a Hellish Scene in His $145.8 Million Film With Drew Barrymore

Hugh Grant has been winning audiences’ love with his British humor and romantic comedies for years now. The 2007 release Music and Lyrics, where he starred along with Drew Barrymore, was another such rom-com where Grant was also praised for his musical performance.

However, some recent comments reveal a story of struggle and anxiety behind those singing and smooth dance moves. Grant recently shared some issues that he faced behind the scenes that required more than his talent and practice to overcome.

Hugh Grant’s Challenges in Music and Lyrics

Music and Lyrics is the story of Hugh Grant‘s character Alex Fletcher, who is essentially a washed-up 80s pop star. Fletcher eventually gets his chance of redemption when pop sensation Cora Corman, played by Haley Bennett, gives him a chance to write a song for her.

Fletcher then meets Sophie Fisher, played by Drew Barrymore, and their partnership begins both professionally and romantically. The film starts with an 80s-style music video of PoP! Goes My Heart, featuring Grant as the lead vocalist of the fictional band, PoP!

Although the music video sequence perfectly captured the 80s charm, it was far from easy for the English actor. Grant recently shared the extreme measures he had to take to shoot the sequence in an interview on Letterboxd.

Music and Lyrics’ dancing was hell, because it was freeform. Just kind of express yourself, enjoy the music, feel it like a real rockstar. And I’m so not that person, and I really struggled with that. I had to have my charming makeup lady in New York bring me little swigs of whiskey in a 7UP bottle and a certain amount of Lorazepam to really get in the mood for that one.

Music and Lyrics came during a very difficult phase in Grant’s career. He earlier revealed to Los Angeles Times,

I developed a bad attitude from about 2005 onwards, shortly after Music and Lyrics. I just had enough… At that point, it wasn’t me giving up Hollywood. Hollywood gave me up.

However, Grant remains loyal to the film, stating “I love to hate the films I’ve been in and I do hate some of them, but Music and Lyrics [is] impossible to hate.” Music and Lyrics grossed over $145.8 million worldwide (as per Box Office Mojo). It is more astonishing that Grant was able to perform at that level despite struggling with anxiety.

Hugh Grant’s Battle with Anxiety and Perfectionism

This was not the only tough scene where Hugh Grant had to deal with anxiety. The actor has not been shy about his battle with anxiety and mental health, especially at this time in his career.

In a conversation on The Late Late Show with James Corden (via Entertainment Tonight), Grant revealed his struggles during the year Music and Lyrics was released. He said,

I went mad in 2007. I got massaged into madness. I went on a holiday in the Maldives and I was extremely bored, so I thought, ‘I’ll have another massage.’ I was having about 30 massages a day. At the end of the holiday, I felt a little strange… I got on the plane to go home, opened the newspaper reading the football results, and I burst into tears. And I couldn’t stop crying for three weeks. It was completely absurd… so I went to see shrinks then.

“I have this absurd syndrome where I get these out-of-the-blue pathetic panic attacks,” Grant once told Entertainment Weekly. The digital magazine also reported that Meryl Streep believed Grant “is very hard on himself” and “he wants it to be perfect” always.

Another co-star, Simon Helberg also added that Grant “cares so tremendously about the film and he worries about it a lot. Because he’s a perfectionist.” However, Grant has performed those roles through all those challenges, which shows his professionalism and resiliency.

Music and Lyrics is available to stream on Prime Video.