Drew Barrymore Defends 'Grumpy' Hugh Grant After Awkward Ashley Graham Interview at Oscars

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Drew Barrymore is opening up about the softer side of Hugh Grant after his awkward interview with Ashley Graham.

On Friday's episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the actress, 48, spoke about Grant, 62, calling her singing in their film Music and Lyrics "horrendous."

"If you know Hugh, that is his way of loving you," she said before she referred to his cringe-worthy chat with Graham that happened at last Sunday's Oscars red carpet.

"People are like, 'Oh, he's such a curmudgeon and she's so thrown.' I'm like, no, that is Hugh Grant. You think you're getting this charming movie star and what you really get is grumpy Hugh. And then you fall in love with grumpy Hugh."

She explained, "When he says that, I'm telling you, he is being absolutely funny. He doesn't mean one negative thing about it. The person that Ashley Graham met on that carpet is the real Hugh."

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The Never Been Kissed star confessed "it took me a second" to get used to Grant's behavior.

"Probably like Ashley Graham on the carpet, like, 'who am I dealing with?' And then I was like, oh, no, I love you. I want to love you. You're not letting me love you. As I got to know him, I was like I do love you. I love you for the real you. He is a hilarious, good human being."

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At the Oscars 2023 on Sunday, Grant had an awkward interview with Graham, who asked him a few questions during ABC's Countdown to Oscars 95 pre-show.

After describing the event as "vanity fair," Grant, who presented at the show, told Graham, 35, he was excited to see "no one in particular."

After Grant admitted he "can't remember" the name of his tailor when Graham asked him about who designed his tuxedo, she went on to ask about his experience filming his cameo in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

"Well I'm barely in it. I'm in it for 3 seconds," he responded. When Graham asked if he had fun doing the film, he responded, "Almost."

As for his remarks about Barrymore, Grant was reflecting on their 2007 rom-com during a video interview with Wired.

"Drew Barrymore was in that film with me, and I don't think she'd mind me saying — her singing is just horrendous. I've heard dogs bark better than she sings," the English actor said, noting that she "sounded way better than me" in the final product "because she's got heart and voice and rock 'n' roll."

Barrymore offered a hilarious response in via an Instagram video on Thursday.

She playfully refused to prove Grant wrong, belting out the tune off-key but with passion. "Oh Hugh...bert. Hubert," she said afterward. "That's for you."