Model and broadcaster Ashley Graham has reflected on her painful red carpet chat with Hugh Grant at the Oscars.
The model, 35, was conducting ABC’s red carpet interviews at the 2023 Academy Awards when she approached the 62-year-old English actor, who had recently starred in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, for an interview.
The awkward conversation went viral thanks to Grant’s short and sarcastic replies, with viewers suggesting the star was “obnoxious” and “rude.”
Four months on from the incident, Graham was able to laugh it off, telling The Sunday Times: “I could tell he didn’t want to be there, that was obvious.
“Before, we were chatting, he was very pleasant. Then we started rolling and he was like, ‘I don’t want to be here’, and I was, ‘OK, work with me! I get it! But like, work with me?’
“I was trying my hardest to be my nice, upbeat self and he gave me what he had... It’s crazy how viral it went.”
Graham continued: “I just remembered him from Love Actually where he was charming!”
To kick off, Graham asked Grant: “What was it like to be in Glass Onion? How fun is it to shoot something like that?”
He quipped: “Well I’m barely in it, I was in it for about three seconds.”
Graham continued: “It still must have been fun though, you had fun right?”
“Erm... almost,” the actor replied.
Graham then asked: “What are you wearing?”
To which Grant said: “My suit.”
Grant also described the Oscars by stating: “The whole of humanity is here. It’s Vanity Fair,” referring to the 1848 William Thackeray novel about the frivolity of upper society.
The model did not understand the comment and replied to a bemused Grant: “Oh, it’s all about Vanity Fair. That’s where we let loose…”
Speaking to The Times, Graham said: “I didn’t get the Vanity Fair comment. My public school system probably didn’t have that book, probably.”
Hugh Grant steps forward to be interviewed at the Oscars, then gives most awkward, painful interview ever. Kudos to Ashley Graham for trying to get him to talk and being a pro. pic.twitter.com/LUpWssAHqw
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) March 13, 2023
Graham has previously only mentioned the interview briefly, telling TMZ: “You know what, my mama told me to kill people with kindness, so there you go.”
Grant has not spoken out about the incident.
At the time, viewers described the exchange as “awkward”, a “disaster” and “painful” to watch.
Taking to Twitter, one wrote: “Hugh Grant was so rude during his interview! Ashley Graham handled it with grace. His eye roll at the end was obnoxious!”
“Don’t do the interview if you clearly don’t want to be interviewed,” agreed a second.
“Ashley Graham interviewing Hugh Grant is the most awkward piece of television in 2023 and I’m living for it,” added a third.
