Was Hugh Grant Being Rude to Ashley Graham at the Oscars? The Internet Is Seriously Divided
I believe this is what we call getting lost in translation.
So, we made it through the Oscars without anything going terribly wrong: no slaps on stage nor wrong best picture winner announcements.
Instead, one of the biggest controversies from the event appears to be the one involving Ashley Graham and Hugh Grant's incredibly painful to watch red carpet interview.
During it, Graham attempted to ask the actor a series of benign questions, and he gave her very little to work with. He also referenced the novel Vanity Fair, but the model thought he was talking about the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party, resulting in one of the most awkward conversations ever broadcast.
But while one reading of this situation is that Grant was being curt and dismissive, another is that he was just being... British. Seriously, the internet cannot agree on which it was.
First up, there's the "definitely rude" contingent.
One Twitter user summed it up with the words, "hugh grant wants no part of this dumb s**t"
hugh grant wants no part of this dumb shit pic.twitter.com/uBQ70QcZGfMarch 12, 2023
Meanwhile, editor Laura Bassett wrote:
Stay In The Know
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.
"Lol Hugh Grant just gave the most dickish red carpet interview I’ve ever seen—Ashley Graham: Who are you most excited to see tonight?!
Hugh: To see?
AG: To see win
Hugh: No one in particular
AG: Okay. Who are you wearing?
Hugh: My suit"
As a British person who's lived in America, I'm inclined to agree a little bit with Bassett here—I mean, he really could have given poor Graham a little more material.
Then, there's the contingent that believes Graham shouldn't have been conducting interviews, since she's not an experienced journalist.
"So I don’t think he was that rude, but I do think she was underprepared. I don’t blame her for that though, this is what happens when you pluck people from other professions and decide they’ll be great interviewers," wrote broadcaster Louise McSharry.
Writer Freya Drohan tweeted, "That Ashley Graham & Hugh Grant interview is so awkward to watch—but proof that we need more JOURNALISTS and reporters on the red carpet who are equipped for what's actually a much harder job than people think"
That Ashley Graham & Hugh Grant interview is so awkward to watch—but proof that we need more JOURNALISTS and reporters on the red carpet who are equipped for what's actually a much harder job than people thinkMarch 13, 2023
But the most popular opinion of all seems to be that there's been a serious cultural misread here.
One Twitter user wrote, "Interesting divide on Hugh Grant's behaviour at the Oscars last night. I've carefully collated the discourse and offer the following analysis:
"Americans: he was impolite, ungrateful, dismissive, rude, belligerent, cantankerous, unhelpful.
"British people: lol lmao"
Writer Patrick Lenton commented, "the way whole swathes of america think this is hugh grant being rude, but it's actually just one of the rare situations of an older british man who is in a good mood and nobody is getting his humour"
And author Natasha Devon said, "In some ways it’s rather reassuring to perceive that Britain hasn’t entirely turned into the US, culturally - As demonstrated by reactions to the Hugh Grant/Ashley Graham interview (Americans think he was being rude, British people know he was just not being fake)."
I genuinely still don't know.
In some ways it’s rather reassuring to perceive that Britain hasn’t entirely turned into the US, culturally - As demonstrated by reactions to the Hugh Grant/Ashley Graham interview (Americans think he was being rude, British people know he was just not being fake).March 13, 2023
Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.
-
Prince Andrew's Business Advisor Accused of Being a "Spy" and Banned From the U.K.
"We found a way to get the relevant people unnoticed in and out of the house in Windsor."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Kate Middleton Allegedly Rejected Idea to Seat Prince Andrew "Behind a Pillar" at Her Christmas Carol Concert
"Although very much a family affair... there was no space for Uncle Andy."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
32 Celebrities Who Got Their Start on Reality TV
Believe it or not.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Halle Berry Is "Eternally Miffed" She's the Only Black Woman to Win the Best Actress Oscar
"I'm continually saddened by that year after year."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Nicole Kidman Talks Kissing Batman, "Hardcore Horror" Movies, and Feeling "Really Deeply"
"The thing people don't understand is, it's not about the check."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
If You’re Going to Insult Ice Spice’s Custom Dolce & Gabbana, You’re Going to Hear Some Sharp Words From Her
The rapper didn’t hold back on social media after a fan criticized her “Vanity Fair” Oscars afterparty look.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Olivia Munn Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Shares Her Prognosis: “Surprisingly, I’ve Only Cried Twice”
Munn was just on the red carpet with partner John Mulaney on Sunday.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Ryan Gosling Got Tips From Eva Mendes and Daughters for His 'I'm Just Ken' Performance at the Oscars
OMG.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce—Perhaps the World’s Most Photographed Couple—Attended the Oscars’ Most Exclusive Afterparty with Zero Photo Evidence to Prove It
It’s a soiree so elite it simply goes by the moniker “The Party.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Did Emma Stone Call Jimmy Kimmel a Pr—k? An Investigation
Social media lip-readers seem to think so.
By Meghan De Maria Published
-
After Ryan Gosling's Oscars Performance, Eva Mendes Asks Him to "Come Home"
"We need to put the kids to bed."
By Meghan De Maria Published