Domhnall Gleeson embraced being called a 'ginger Hugh Grant' after About Time role

Domhnall Gleeson refused to be offended by Hugh Grant comparisons following the release of rom-com About Time back in 2013.

The movie, which has grown in stature in recent years, was of course directed by Grant's frequent collaborator Richard Curtis, who wrote Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Bridget Jones's Diary.

"Curtis has managed to achieve the impossible. Specifically: he has gone back to 1993 and remade Groundhog Day with a ginger Hugh Grant," read The Guardian's review of About Time, and during Gleeson's interview with The Independent, he's now addressed it.

"It had been a long shoot and I worked my ass off on it," the Irishman told the publication.

"We all had a brilliant time and I believed in the message of the story. And then when it came out, people were definitely sniffy about it, which is their right. And fair enough, I don't love every rom-com either. That's all fine. But I wanted it to do well, not just for selfish reasons, but because I loved it.

"But ginger Hugh Grant? I love Hugh Grant and I'm ginger so there's nothing to complain about there. If they were saying it in a sniffy way, then f*** them!"

Further along their chat, Gleeson also weighed in on the critical obliteration of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, in which he played General Hux.

"You want everybody to like everything, but it's impossible," he said. "If you've got nothing to do all day, and you're in between jobs, it's hard not to have a glance [at reviews]. Because you're unemployed and somebody's whispering behind that door, and you want to lean in to hear.

"The only time the reviews hurt is if they say something that you agree with, because otherwise you can just disagree with what somebody says, and that's fine. Everybody's got a different point of view, and everybody likes different art."

Read more:

• Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson open up about 'excruciating' 14-minute ovation

• Lorraine Kelly addresses Hugh Grant's awkward Oscars interview: 'Smile and get on with it'

• Hugh Grant admits 'terrible' on-set tantrum on Dungeons and Dragons movie

Watch: The Little Stranger interview: Domhnall Gleeson on if the film can be called a horror