Hugh Grant starrer Cloud Atlas was undoubtedly one of the most divisive movies of 2012. The science fiction film obtained mixed reviews from critics while being included on many of the ‘Best of’ and ‘Worst of’ film lists. Some have referred to it as a ‘unique and totally unparalleled disaster’, while others have praised it as a ‘brilliant work of art’.
The movie though, did not perform well at the box office, earning $130.5 million worldwide (earning less than $30 million in the US). This would have been acceptable if it didn’t have a budget of more than $100 million.
One of the leading actors in the film, Hugh Grant also once expressed his dissatisfaction with the under-appreciation of the ambitious science fiction movie, Cloud Atlas.
Tom Tykwer and The Wachowskis (Lana and Lilly Wachowski), known for their inventive storytelling methods, helmed this 2012 film.
For the unversed, the film was based on David Mitchell’s best-selling novel of the same name, which was famous for its intricate and interconnected narrative that covered multiple timelines.
Hugh Grant ‘Thought Cloud Atlas Was Amazing’
There are no middle-of-the-road views when it comes to Cloud Atlas. It was ranked as the worst movie of 2012 by The Village Voice and Time. In fact, the star-studded movie, which was made on a $100 million budget (excluding marketing), only brought in $130.5 million globally. This is not what one would have wanted when spending that much money on a project.
Hugh Grant, who took on six roles in the time-jumping story, out of his comfort zone, was also disappointed that the film did not do better, as he told Yahoo:
”I thought [‘Cloud Atlas’] was amazing. [The Wachowskis] are the bravest film-makers in the world, and I think it’s an amazing film…it’s frustrating to me. Every time I’ve done something outside the genre of light comedy, the film fails to find an audience at the box office. And, sadly, ‘Cloud Atlas’ never really found the audience it deserved.”
Additionally, he claimed that he strongly discouraged his friends, who wanted to pursue acting in the entertainment industry:
“It’s miserable, it’s a very cruel world, no one should go into it. I’m always getting cousins and friends, and daughters and sons of friends…wanting to talk about going into acting and I always say just don’t do it. At all. It’s brutal.”
Hugh Grant Discussed His ‘Incredibly Evil’ Cloud Atlas Characters
Hugh Grant demonstrated his unquestionable acting versatility by taking on multiple roles in Cloud Atlas as he proved his versatility outside of the romantic comedy genre. However, despite having an impressive ensemble cast that included Tom Hanks, Susan Sarandon, and Halle Berry, the movie initially had trouble making its mark, even financially.
Speaking about his cameo appearances as six “incredibly evil” characters, the actor once explained:
“I have six cameo parts in this strange, ambitious film. I do a lot of killing and r*ping. I wear an awful lot of prosthetic makeup, too. You probably won’t know that I am in the film! But it was a laugh… I slightly called my own bluff. In one of the parts I am a cannibal, about 2000 years in the future, and I thought, ‘I can do that. It’s easy.’”
Well, it is safe to say that most people expected that Cloud Atlas would have worked at the box office, and for good reasons. Likewise, even the Privileged actor seemed to be in a similar situation (despite his optimism).
“I have seen little bits of cut footage and it is just astonishing. I probably had 20 shooting days, and each of [the film’s three directors] is shooting their own part of the film with their own crews. It’s remarkable.”
Critics, on the other hand, were divided, which led to it being mentioned on both the ‘Best Film’ and ‘Worst Film’ lists. According to Box Office Mojo, the film was “dreadful.”
Hugh Grant’s upcoming musical fantasy film, Wonka, is scheduled to release on December 15, 2023.
Source- Yahoo
