Hugh Grant has three kids with wife Anna and two with ex-girlfriend Tinglan Hong. He said that fatherhood made him a nicer person.
Many men run away from the idea of commitment, and it's not just limited to men in their 20s or 30s. There are people in their 40s and 50s who have been in relationships but never been married or have had kids. But, when they do take the plunge, they are pleasantly surprised. For instance, George Clooney had his twins when he was 56, Steve Martin became a dad at 67. There are many famous or non-famous men, who we know, who didn't find the right partner until late in life. And of those people is British actor Hugh Grant.
The Four Weddings and a Funeral actor became a dad for the first time at the age of 51 and he loves it. He stayed away from this significant part of life for a long time but just couldn't resist anymore. In fact, he became a dad to five kids within a few years times. He said that his life was "total chaos," a per Business Standard.
"I have five small children and life is total chaos. I've always said yes to writing or directing a project, but part of my problem now is that I just lack time. Being away for a week for work seems like bliss - mostly because I don't have someone throwing yogurt at me!" Grant said. However, he doesn't dislike the constant bustling in his home.
The 59-year-old actor has three kids with wife, Anna, and two with ex-girlfriend Tinglan Hong. He said that it has changed him for the good. "It's made me much nicer," he said, as per Hello! Magazine. "One of my kids is very obsessed with saying goodbye – he's only two – to everyone, including the man who delivers the groceries, whoever he might be. He has to have a hug and a kiss, and I find that very charming," he added.
The actor, who used to say it was unlikely he would ever marry or have kids, has been proven wrong on both accounts. He now believes that being a dad was one of the "nicest" things that ever happened to him, he told Hello! Magazine. "Sounding clichéd - but it happens to be true. It's just lovely to have all that love around. Suddenly you love someone more than yourself. It's unheard of in my case and they love you and it's all enchanting," he added.
He once revealed a funny game he likes to play with his children. "It's always amusing to put your underpants on your head," he said. "My little girl at two likes her nappies on my head." He also confessed that he made the mistake of showing his behind to his son once for fun but "then he got the habit and taught every single child in West London to do the same!"
The Notting Hill actor said in 2012 that those who said that parenthood was a great part of life was right. "Everyone was right all these years, saying, 'Hugh, why don't you have some children? It changes your life'. Now that I have a child, it is life-changing. I recommend it. Get some!" he said.
He elaborated further to Vanity Fair, "It’s sort of taken the lid off my bottled-up English emotions. I hate to talk this way because it sounds so smug. And I used to loathe people who would say, ‘Hugh, you’ve got to have children. You haven’t really lived until you have.’ I hated those people. But there’s an element of truth. It’s one of those things you didn’t know you needed until you’ve done it."
He hopes that his kids don't follow his profession and joked that they are "banned" from it. "The older ones, I’ve seen in a few school plays. And luckily, they display no talent," said the dad. And, the reason why he doesn't want them to be actors is also that he's a protective dad. "If I knew lots and lots of happy actors, I would recommend it. But seeing as I’ve never met a happy actor, I can’t,” he said.
References:
https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2015021323429/hugh-grant-fatherhood-made-me-nicer/
https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2020022185013/hugh-grant-children-wife-family-details/
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/08/hugh-grants-very-english-comeback
