Luke Grimes Says Hugh Grant Was His 'North Star' as He Filmed New Movie: 'Romantic Comedy God' (Exclusive)

"You actually believed him and felt for him," Grimes tells PEOPLE of Grant's performances in films like "Notting Hill" and "Four Weddings and a Funeral"

Luke Grimes is taking notes from one of the rom-com greats — Hugh Grant!

The Yellowstone star, 39, makes his romantic-comedy debut alongside Ellie Kemper in the new Netflix movie Happiness for Beginners. In an interview conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike, the actor reveals to PEOPLE that his favorite movie in the genre is Notting Hill, starring Grant, 62, and Julia Roberts.

Also citing Four Weddings and a Funeral as a favorite, Grimes says, "I think Hugh Grant was the romantic-comedy God."

"I think he was so good at what he did in those movies," he adds. "I was like, 'I'm going to do my best to try to be Hugh Grant,' because he was always the straight man, but he was funny enough on his own."

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Related: Hugh Grant Thought 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' Would Be 'a Giant Turkey': 'I Was Clearly Wrong'

In Grimes' mind, Grant — who also notably starred in Love Actually, Mickey Blue Eyes and the Bridget Jones's Diary films, among other rom-coms — had the right amount of humor in his roles, and was "not too funny that it took away from the funny characters."

"He had just enough that he was perfect," the actor says. "You actually believed him and felt for him and had a lot of empathy for him. So he was sort of my North Star [in] trying to do this movie."

In Happiness for Beginners, Grimes plays Jake, a doctor who connects with the recently divorced Helen (Kemper, 43) while they’re on a wilderness retreat — and romance ranks among the bottom of the list of things on their respective minds.

While Grimes is no stranger to romance on the big screen, having appeared as Elliot Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey film series, Happiness for Beginners marks his first-ever foray into the world of romantic comedy, which is a genre he has long desired to explore.

“I always wanted to do a romantic comedy. It was on my bucket list, because I always skew a little more dramatic and a little more intense,” the Ohio native says. “There's enough bad stuff in the world. And I read the script and I was like, ‘I think I could do this.’ “

Related: Why We Need Romantic Comedies More Than Ever at This Moment

Grimes admits to PEOPLE that he "was very scared to do a comedy," but that he "always wanted to try" — and luckily, he was surrounded by the support that made it possible.

"I didn't know if I'd be any good. But in this room when we're rehearsing with all these really funny people, they accepted me into their circle, and I got to watch them be really funny and try it myself," the Brothers & Sisters alum shares.

One big lesson he learned making the film? "It's okay to do things that maybe aren't right up your alley," Grimes says. "Sometimes you can try different things, and I always wanted to do something like that, and I really, really enjoyed it. And they were very kind to me to let me try to."

Of why he "love(s) romantic comedies," the actor adds, "I understand the reason for them and I understand why they exist, because sometimes I just want to watch something a little lighter and a little more happy and go to bed with good dreams instead of bad ones."

Happiness for Beginners is now streaming on Netflix.

For more from Luke Grimes, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

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Read the original article on People.