Drew Barrymore Admits She Was ‘So Upset’ When She Met Hugh Grant: ‘He’s a Totally Grumpy Old Man’

Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant have been friends for a long time. And she once confessed to being “so upset” when she first met him because he wasn’t quite what she was expecting. “He’s a totally grumpy old man,” as she put it.

How did Barrymore and Grant start their relationship, how did she feel about him after learning how “grumpy” he is, and were the pair ever seriously romantic? Read on to learn more.

How Drew Barrymore started a friendship before she ever met ‘grumpy’ Hugh Grant

The friendship between the seasoned stars began when Barrymore sent Grant a supportive letter during his 1995 cheating scandal. That ignited when he hired a sex worker for services while in a relationship with Austin Powers actor Elizabeth Hurley.

The memorably shocking affair didn’t end the relationship, but it tarnished Grant’s reputation. He talked to Barrymore about the incident when he visited her on The Drew Barrymore Show. “I was just an idiot,” he told her, adding that he “got caught by the police.”

But the letter received from Barrymore, who had been through an abundance of public turmoil as a child and young teen in Hollywood, was helpful to Grant. He said it was “very supportive and nice,” and she gave him a “cheering up.”

“And I thought, ‘I love Drew Barrymore,’” he told her. “You’ll always have a place in my heart.”

Drew Barrymore was ‘so upset’ when she met ‘grumpy’ Hugh Grant

On another clip from The Drew Barrymore Show featuring comedian Mike Birbiglia, Barrymore said she and Grant were never seriously romantic despite winning a place in his heart. “… Hugh [Grant] and I did not date,” she offered. “Not even a little.”

In fact, she expressed having felt some disappointment when she first encountered the Notting Hill actor. “I was so upset because when I met him, it turns out he’s a totally grumpy old man, and you’re like, ‘Wait, no, you’re Hugh Grant! You’re supposed to be like the dashing rom-com guy, what is going on?’” she explained.

But she added, “And then you fall in love with him for the real Hugh.”

Though they didn’t date, Barrymore and Grant recalled during his time on her talk show that they did make out in public once. As she recalled, she walked right up to him and kissed him. As he recalled, the experience was quite “bizarre.”

Drew Barrymore said Hugh Grant is ‘the greatest guy ever’

Barrymore told Birbiglia that once she got through Grant’s “grumpy” outer shell, she found she really liked him. “He’s the greatest guy ever and I love him so much,” she shared. And she wasn’t done gushing over The Undoing star there.

“He’s so wonderful and he’s so funny,” Barrymore said, adding that Grant’s “irreverent” humor allows them to go to some “funny, weird places.”