Hugh Grant Says His Oompa Loompa Role Was 'Challenging for My Wife': 'Her Last Husband Was a Ski Champion'

Mar. 15, 2025

Hugh Grant in ‘Unfrosted’ and in ‘Wonka’ and Anna Eberstein (center).Photo:John P. Johnson/Netflix; David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty; Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett

John P. Johnson/Netflix; David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty; Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett

Hugh Grantthinks his career choices have been rocky for his wifeAnna Eberstein.When the actor, 64, appeared on the Nov. 13 episode ofLate Night with Seth Meyersto promoteHeretic, he joked that hisstring of goofy, bizarre and villainous roles in recent yearshave proven “challenging” for his wife of six years.After Grant said he plays “a strange, misshapen, weirdo” inHeretic, hostSeth Meyersdisplayed photos of the actor as thecereal mascot Tony the TigerinUnfrostedandas an orange Oompa Loompain 2023’sWonka.“See, again, I think those are challenging for my wife,” Grant joked. “Her last husband — she was married before — was a ski champion, and now she’s married tothat.“Timothée Chalamet and Hugh Grant in 2023’s Wonka.Warner Bros. Entertainment IncGrant and Ebersteintied the knotin May 2018, several years after they began dating. They sharethree children, including sonJohn, 12, and daughtersLulu, 8, andBlue, 6; he onlyrevealed the names of his younger daughterspublicly for the first time during an Oct. 30 appearance onJimmy Kimmel Live.Grant also shares two children with Tinglan Hong; daughter Tabitha, 13, and son Felix, who turns 12 in December.Hugh Grant and wife Anna Eberstein on April 11, 2021.Jeff Spicer/GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.TheNotting Hillactor’s jokes about Eberstein’s thoughts on his roles that deviate from his beloved rom-coms came shortly after Grant told Meyers, 50, that he in part wanted to deviate from lovable characters he portrayed that made him famous.Jerry Seinfeld and Hugh Grant on the set of 2024’s Unfrosted.John P. Johnson/Netflix"There I was doing nonsense jobs for, I can’t remember, 10 years or something, and then suddenly out of the blue [Four Weddings and a Funeral] happens and I’m suddenly offered lots of lucrative and exciting work,” Grant said.“I made the terrible mistake of thinking, well, if that’s the person they like in films, where I’m all ‘Gosh, hi, yes, I love you,’ I’ll just be like that in interviews as well. And quite rightly, on the back of that, people started to loathe me. At least, in Britain they did.“While Grant is embracing a villainous side of his acting —Hereticis in theaters now — he is not straying too far from rom-coms; the actor reprises his role inBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, on Peacock Feb. 13.

Hugh Grantthinks his career choices have been rocky for his wifeAnna Eberstein.

When the actor, 64, appeared on the Nov. 13 episode ofLate Night with Seth Meyersto promoteHeretic, he joked that hisstring of goofy, bizarre and villainous roles in recent yearshave proven “challenging” for his wife of six years.

After Grant said he plays “a strange, misshapen, weirdo” inHeretic, hostSeth Meyersdisplayed photos of the actor as thecereal mascot Tony the TigerinUnfrostedandas an orange Oompa Loompain 2023’sWonka.

“See, again, I think those are challenging for my wife,” Grant joked. “Her last husband — she was married before — was a ski champion, and now she’s married tothat.”

Timothée Chalamet and Hugh Grant in 2023’s Wonka.Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

Grant and Ebersteintied the knotin May 2018, several years after they began dating. They sharethree children, including sonJohn, 12, and daughtersLulu, 8, andBlue, 6; he onlyrevealed the names of his younger daughterspublicly for the first time during an Oct. 30 appearance onJimmy Kimmel Live.

Grant also shares two children with Tinglan Hong; daughter Tabitha, 13, and son Felix, who turns 12 in December.

Hugh Grant and wife Anna Eberstein on April 11, 2021.Jeff Spicer/Getty

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

TheNotting Hillactor’s jokes about Eberstein’s thoughts on his roles that deviate from his beloved rom-coms came shortly after Grant told Meyers, 50, that he in part wanted to deviate from lovable characters he portrayed that made him famous.

Jerry Seinfeld and Hugh Grant on the set of 2024’s Unfrosted.John P. Johnson/Netflix

John P. Johnson/Netflix

“There I was doing nonsense jobs for, I can’t remember, 10 years or something, and then suddenly out of the blue [Four Weddings and a Funeral] happens and I’m suddenly offered lots of lucrative and exciting work,” Grant said.

“I made the terrible mistake of thinking, well, if that’s the person they like in films, where I’m all ‘Gosh, hi, yes, I love you,’ I’ll just be like that in interviews as well. And quite rightly, on the back of that, people started to loathe me. At least, in Britain they did.”

While Grant is embracing a villainous side of his acting —Hereticis in theaters now — he is not straying too far from rom-coms; the actor reprises his role inBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, on Peacock Feb. 13.

source: people.com