Hugh Grant says he's 'too old' for showbiz - but doesn't mind getting 'wheeled out' for the occasional red carpet event

Hugh Grant played book shop owner William Thacker who fell in love with Hollywood’s Anna Scott in Notting Hill, a love struck Prime Minister in Love Actually, and heartthrob Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones’s Diary, but despite cementing himself as the rom-com actor, Hugh thinks his time is up.

Speaking to London Live ahead of his new film The Rewrite, he said: “I used to go by whether it made me laugh and did I want to turn the page, but now I pretty much turn everything down anyway. I just feel too old... certainly for a romantic comedy and a bit old for show business in general but occasionally they wheel me out."

He was “wheeled” out last night alongside his good friend Liz Hurley who was in attendance at the red carpet premiere of the new film to support the 54-year-old actor.

Despite feeling “too old” for rom-coms, the Notting Hill actor plays an Oscar winning writer who teaches screenwriting and falls for single mum (Marisa Tomei) who is taking classes there – in his new film.

But Hugh believes the film is more About a Boy than Notting Hill. He said: “It’s partly a romantic comedy. It’s about a man who is partly lost in life and rediscovering himself and finding new things he loves in life. It’s closer to About a Boy than Notting Hill.”

After more than 30 years in the industry the actor and activist would tell his younger self to not over act.

"There is a lot of advice, I mean, the main thing would be don't over act. I went and did a film or two where I over acted quite grotesquely. They paid me so much I thought I had to quintuple the amount of acting I did and that was a big mistake."

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