Many people on social media noted Grant's curt responses and praised Ashley Graham's determination to keep the interview professional.
LOS ANGELES — The Oscars are back a year after "The Slap" lit up social media, and this year's most talked about moment may have happened before the show even started.
Social media was ablaze Sunday afternoon as viewers reacted to what could only be described as an extremely uncomfortable interview between host Ashley Graham and actor Hugh Grant, as Grant repeatedly gave blunt, annoyed answers to Graham's questions.
The interview began on a sour note when Graham asked Grant, a "veteran" of the Academy Awards, what his favorite part about the Oscars was. Grant, unable to come up with an answer, hemmed and hawed until remarking that the event was "vanity fair," which Graham appeared to think was a reference to the Vanity Fair afterparty.
"Anybody you're excited to see win, do you have your hopes up for anyone?" Graham asked.
"No, no one in particular," Grant responded.
I don’t understand this from Hugh Grant. If you don’t want to be interviewed, don’t take the mic, smile politely and keep walking. Kudos to @ashleygraham for trying repeatedly to get something interesting out of him. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/Q2AeUpPGRi
— April (@ReignOfApril) March 13, 2023Asked what he was wearing, Grant responded, "Just my suit."
Viewers immediately noticed Grant's demeanor and praised Graham's determination to keep the interview professional despite his curt answers.
hugh grant just gave one of the most awkward red carpet interviews i’ve ever seen. #Oscars
— susie (@banikarim) March 12, 2023extra shout out to Ashley Graham for keeping it together during that Hugh Grant interview and trying her best to get him to have a normal conversation - “vanity fair” mishap aside - he was so weird to her!!
— Versha Sharma (@versharma) March 12, 2023That Hugh Grant interview was… the most awkward thing I’ve seen since the slap #Oscars
— James Packard (@JamesSPackard) March 12, 2023The awkward moments continued after Graham asked what it was like to film "Glass Onion," the new "Knives Out" movie.
"Well, I'm barely in it," Grant quipped.
As the interview wrapped up, Grant noticeably raised his eyebrows as he walked away.
One Twitter user summed it up: "And the Oscar for the guy who totally doesn't want to be there goes to Hugh Grant."
And the Oscar for the guy who totally doesn't want to be there goes to Hugh Grant. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/Gq6Q3n1EEU
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) March 12, 2023