Hugh Grant started trending on Twitter following an awkward red carpet exchange as he was arriving at the 95th Annual Academy Awards.
The British actor was called an “a**hole” and questioned by other social media users when a clip of the exchange with model Ashley Graham, 35, as she asked him a series of questions. “Why are you even at the [Oscars?]” one Twitter user wrote.
“Is Hugh Grant just an arrogant d*** all the time?” another person wondered. “He was so rude to Ashley Graham on the red carpet, complete with an eye roll. Maybe he should stay home if he’s too good for his industry of choice,” another agreed.
“hugh grant wants no part of this dumb sh**,” a third person agreed.
Many Twitter reactions noted how Grant made a reference to the 1848 book Vanity Fair, a cautionary tale about shallow society and social climbing, but Graham apparently assumed he was talking about the pop culture magazine.
When the interviewer asked his favorite part of the Oscars, Grant replied, “It’s fascinating. The whole of humanity is here. It’s a vanity fair.”
“Hugh Grant is my spirit animal,” one person wrote. “My favorite part of this is how far above this ladies head the ‘Vanity Fair’ reference he makes is. She clearly has no idea what he’s talking about, but he just insulted her and everyone there. It’s beautiful.”
hugh grant wants no part of this dumb shit pic.twitter.com/uBQ70QcZGf
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 12, 2023
When asked if there were any particular projects he was rooting for, the “Notting Hill” actor replied, “No one in particular.”
Next, Graham tried to discuss the actor’s wardrobe choice. When she asked the standard red carpet question about who Grant was wearing, he tersely replied, “My suit.”
Graham made one last attempt at making conversation and asked Grant about what it was like working on “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.”
“I’m barely in it, I’m in it for about three seconds,” Grant shot back.
“But still, you showed up and had fun, right?” Graham tried again.
“Almost,” Grant said. The interview ended awkwardly after that.
While many social media users criticized Grant for the interview, others found it a hilarious moment in an otherwise long and predictable awards ceremony. The actor is not up for any Academy Awards.