Hugh Grant has revealed that his youngest daughter’s name is a hilarious reference to Austin Powers.
The British film star, who has won rave reviews for his rare scary turn in new horror Heretic, said that the decision came after finding himself “in a bit of a panic” with his wife, Anna Elisabet Eberstein, whom he married in 2018.
Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Notting Hill star Grant, days after shocking fans with an unexpected joke about his 1995 arrest, revealed that his full name is Hugh John Mungo Grant.
After sharing this detail, he made an admission about his youngest daughter’s middle name.
While Grant has not revealed the first name of the two daughters he has with Eberstein, he did say of his six-year-old, who was born in March 2018: “We thought it might be nice for her when she was older if she could say in bars that her middle name is Danger. So her name is Lulu Danger Grant. Austin Powers, you know?”
In the first Austin Powers film, International Man of Mystery (1997), Powers (Mike Myers) corrects a man who asks him if his name is Danger Powers. When he tells him his name is, in fact, Austin Powers, the man replies: “It says here Danger Powers,” to which Austin flirtily looks at Elizabeth Hurley’s Vanessa Kensington and says: “No, no, no – Danger’s my middle name.”
Grant also revealed that he almost named his other daughter after his son’s favourite Despicable Me character – the Minion called Kevin.
“We asked her elder brother when she was on the way, ‘There’s a new baby coming along, what shall we call her?’ and he said ‘Kevin’, because that was his favourite Minion.
Grant continued: “And we did think about calling her Kevin, but then we said, ‘You’d better think of something else’, and he said ‘Blue’ because that was his favourite colour.”
The actor was in a relationship with Austin Powers star Hurley from 1987 to 2000, and the pair have remained close friends since their split. Grant, who has five children, is godfather to Hurley’s son, Damian.
Speaking about Grant in 2021, Hurley said: “He’s very happily married. I spent some time with him and his wife a few weeks ago at a birthday party. He has five children. He’s a great daddy.
“His career is through-the-roof fantastic at the moment. Best reviews of his life, brilliant offers on the table. We’re good friends and I hope it always stays that way.”
Heretic is released in cinemas on Friday (1 November).
