You are going to be hard-pressed to find anything as hysterically bonkers as Unfrosted on the schedule of 2024 Netflix movie and TV release dates. In comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s directorial debut, the invention of Pop-Tarts is treated like The Right Stuff, but told with as much dedication to both comedy and reality as Airplane!
Part of that delightful anarchy comes from actor Hugh Grant’s portrayal of legendary voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft, which required him to wear a rather hot-looking Tony the Tiger costume. But if you ask the veteran of “orange” roles -- which he had in the films Wonka and Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre -- this colorful coincidence isn’t just happenstance, it’s his new career model.
I say this because as part of Netflix’s recent Unfrosted press day, I got to sit across a breakfast table with the man himself. As a fan, and a journalist, this was indeed an honor; especially when I asked if he held either of his recently tinted performances as the more uncomfortable experience. Turning on the charm, while also conveying his appreciation for these opportunities, here’s what Hugh Grant shared with CinemaBlend:
These are the roles I cherish now. I like to be orange. Both characters are orange, and I did a Guy Ritchie film last year [Operation Fortune], in which I was completely orange in the face. I worked out this is the defining characteristic, in fact, this is what I now demand of my agent.
I would have thought that while playing a cereal mascot in a traditionally hot costume was certainly uncomfortable, it wouldn’t have held a candle to Hugh Grant’s uncomfortable Wonka shoot. Of course, based on the glowing enthusiasm that he shared about his time making Unfrosted, it would have been hard to feel anything but happiness. At least, once the suit was off, and a reasonable room temperature was reached.
When talking about making the movie, Hugh practically glowed about his experience with co-stars like Melissa McCarthy. He also proclaimed himself as a huge fan of Seinfeld, and Jerry himself, so the chance to work on his Unfrosted vision really does seem to have been a dream come true for Hugh Grant. This only makes the hysterical costumes, ranging from dashing to topically out there, a bigger treat to behold.
Hugh wasn’t kidding when he picked up on the color orange being a connective thread in his career. Here are the movies that, at the time of publication, make up Mr. Grant’s Orange Era:
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023)
Wonka (2023)
Unfrosted (2024)
Further discussing his experiences in comedy filmmaking, you can see why the Love, Actually star wouldn’t terribly mind wearing some ridiculous get-ups for his Unfrosted role. With a healthy trust of directors who understand the construction of humor, Hugh Grant will clearly suffer through the experiences he’s encountered to get the laugh.
The results are clearly worth it too, as the anticipation for Hugh Grant’s Tony the Tiger paid off in the finished product. So long as the person behind the camera knows where that laugh is coming from, you could probably put Hugh in almost any costume or makeup known to humanity. This is more than likely the reason we hear stories like the one about Paul King’s delight in Hugh Grant’s grumpiness on the Wonka set.
Come to think of it, I’m now of the mind that if there were to be another live-action Grinch adaptation, Hugh Grant’s experience as the fictionalized version of Thurl Ravenscroft -- who sang "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" in real life -- would make him a rather fine candidate. Then again, if we’re sticking with the Orange theme of his latest output, there’s one more role that Grant jokingly put on the table:
Donald Trump is the next part.
If Kenneth Branagh can play Boris Johnson, then I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch for Hugh Grant to make a similar transformation.
Speaking of transformations, there are several other looks that await eager Netflix subscription holders this weekend, as Unfrosted is set to make its debut on the 2024 movie schedule this Friday.
