Hugh Grant, on a hot streak, goads Drew Barrymore into song after insulting her voice
Drew Barrymore shared a rendition of the Music And Lyrics song "Way Back Into Love" after Hugh Grant says her singing was "horrendous"
Who knew a press tour could be so dangerous for Hugh Grant? The movie star has been in the game for quite some time, but he seems to be critically lacking in tact while promoting Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. So far he’s admitted to outrageous on-set tantrums and participated in lethally awkward red carpet interviews. And now he’s been caught insulting his Music And Lyrics co-star, America’s sweetheart Drew Barrymore.
In a new Wired Autocomplete Interview, Grant says he was “auto-tuned beyond belief” in the romantic comedy, before adding, “Actually, that’s not true. I’m auto-tuned a bit, but not as much as some. Drew Barrymore was in that film with me, and I don’t think she’d mind me saying her singing is just horrendous. I’ve heard dogs bark better than she sings.”
Barrymore maybe minded a little bit, since she promptly took to Instagram to share an acapella version of the Music And Lyrics hit “Way Back Into Love.” “Oh Hugh…bert, Hubert, that’s for you,” she said, singing a version of the track that is truthfully quite pitchy but at least more pleasant to listen to than a barking dog.
Grant and Barrymore appear to have been friends for many years; during a 2021 chat on her talk show, Grant said she’d “always have a place in my heart” for her kindness after he was arrested for lewd conduct in public. He also stated that Music And Lyrics is “impossible to hate” because they’re both “so good in it,” and had real chemistry. (In fairness, he also told Wired she had “heart and voice and rock ’n’ roll” after a good autotuning.)
Having known Grant for a long time—she noted on The Drew Barrymore Show that he can be a “curmudgeon”—it seems Barrymore is able to take his snark in stride. Ashley Graham, however, did not have as much experience with Grant’s curmudgeonly ways when she got stuck interviewing him on the 2023 Oscars red carpet. Their excruciating exchange went viral, and Grant was highly criticized for his rudeness. Graham had a less playful response to Grant than Barrymore did, telling TMZ, “You know what? My mama told me to kill people with kindness. So there you go.” A lesson, perhaps, Grant should adopt in his own life.