--- title: Hugh Grant Was Very Resistant To That Dance Scene You Love description: The actor admitted he wasn't particularly keen on having to film the now-famous dance scene in 'Love Actually.' canonical: https://time.com/5101596/hugh-grant-love-actually-dance/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-12T20:38:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:49:45.231Z og:title: Hugh Grant Was Very Resistant To That Dance Scene You Love og:description: It's one of the best parts of Love Actually, but Grant was wary of filming it og:url: https://time.com/5101596/hugh-grant-love-actually-dance/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Hugh Grant Was Very Resistant To That Dance Scene You Love twitter:description: It's one of the best parts of Love Actually, but Grant was wary of filming it twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Hugh Grant Was Never Too Keen on That Beloved _Love Actually_ Dance Scene > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=dd1f87d1-369c-481e-bce9-d90f35d7048d&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=dd1f87d1-369c-481e-bce9-d90f35d7048d&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=dd1f87d1-369c-481e-bce9-d90f35d7048d&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Jan 12, 2018 8:38 PM UTC  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Jan 12, 2018 8:38 PM UTC [Hugh Grant](http://time.com/4713196/love-actually-red-nose-day-comic-relief-hugh-grant/) is one of our most iconic rom-com leads, often playing a dashing — but hapless — British suitor. In [perennial favorite _Love Actually_](http://time.com/4703395/love-actually-reunion-sequel/), he achieved perhaps the pinnacle of the form, even going so far as to very winningly dance through the halls of his residence at 10 Downing Street (also known as the prime minister’s home) to the tune of the Pointer Sisters’ “Jump (For My Love).” The spring in his step is all due to love, of course. But it turns out that the actor wasn’t _actually_ very keen to get his groove on. “I never understood it technically. I kept saying to Richard \[Curtis, the director of _Love Actually_\] ‘Okay look, I got the radio on in my bedroom and I’m dancing, fine, but then I start to dance through the whole 10 Downing Street. Where’s the music coming from, and how does it cut off at the end?” he reminisced during a new episode of [_The Jess Cagle Interview_](http://people.com/movies/why-hugh-grant-didnt-want-to-do-that-epic-love-actually-dance-scene/) with PEOPLE editor Jess Cagle. Grant was so resistant, in fact, that he kept telling the film crew that he had a “bad ankle” in the days leading up to the shoot. When it came to actually hit record, he hadn’t rehearsed at all. “I just did it,” he said. Perhaps it’s a nod to his natural charisma that it turned out so well. And now it doesn’t seem like he’s so ashamed of his moves: “I’m proud of the fact I did it without any stimulants,” he added. Thanks, Hugh, for gifting us with this important movie moment, against your better instincts. May we all look so good on the first take. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5101596/hugh-grant-love-actually-dance/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5101596/hugh-grant-love-actually-dance/"},"headline":"Hugh Grant Was Never Too Keen on That Beloved Love Actually Dance Scene","datePublished":"2018-01-12T20:38:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:49:45.231Z","description":"The actor admitted he wasn't particularly keen on having to film the now-famous dance scene in 'Love Actually.'","url":"https://time.com/5101596/hugh-grant-love-actually-dance/","keywords":["Newsfeed","movies","celebrities"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5101596/hugh-grant-love-actually-dance/","name":"Hugh Grant Was Never Too Keen on That Beloved Love Actually Dance Scene"}}]}] ```