Hugh Grant On Future Fatherhood: 'I Haven't Given Up Hope'

Jane West/INF

Next September will be a big month for Hugh Grant: the actor will celebrate his 50th birthday. And although he has managed to rack up a laundry list of accomplishments over the years, Hugh now has his sight on something new — children!

“Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have thought about having children at all,” he admits to PARADE.

However, the proud uncle of “so many” nieces, nephews, and godchildren — including Elizabeth Hurley‘s son Damian — Hugh is growing fond of the idea of a family for himself. “Yes, yes, yes. I haven’t given up hope,” he confesses.

That said, his desire to have kids comes with a set of terms! “That’s on the basis that I can leave after 10 minutes,” he jokes.

“I don’t know what it would be like 24 hours a day. I think I’d have a lot of nannies.”

With the thought of a family on the horizon, Hugh is already forming his own opinions when it comes to raising children. “I see a lot of children over-parented now, by my standards,” he notes.

“Over-adored. Over-spoiled. I quite like the children left alone to get on with it.”

His approach to parenting leaves Hugh believing he will be a top-notch father. “Yes, I do rather,” he explains. “I find I’m not as bad with children as I used to be.”

Source: PARADE

– Anya

Comments

Holy Smokes!!! I really do not think he should have children at all if he is going to have nannies raise them. That is just crazy.

- Darlene on November 20th, 2009

Perhaps Hugh should just stick to being an uncle. This is a side of him I didn’t need or want to see. Not very nice.

- AmyD on November 20th, 2009

Oh my god, he was obviously kidding. Have you never seen an interview with him before?

- Sidney on November 20th, 2009

i’m going to guess this was a bit tongue-in-cheek (seeing as all the interviews i’ve seen of him, he’s very sarcastic) and doesn’t come off well in print…

- amandamay on November 20th, 2009

LOL. I’m going to take his comments as his sense of humour.

- Bb on November 20th, 2009

He is kidding!

- Natasha on November 20th, 2009

Oh my God! “Leave after ten mintutes”!!! I hate to be judgemental but thats a bit sad that a person would want to have children but only spend 10 minutes a day with them. If he wants to do that then he should just keep his uncle and godfather status lol. But in a way I think he may have been joking lol.

- Molly on November 20th, 2009

Oh Hugh! LOL!

- tasithoughts on November 20th, 2009

I knew people would take this seriously. Have a sense of humour!

- JJ on November 20th, 2009

He was obviously joking. It’s classic British dry wit. However I do agree with him that children are over-parented. Children need more independence and free time to grow themselves from a young age to an old age than they’re given credit for nowadays, at least from what I’ve seen.

- Carla on November 20th, 2009

How could he say such a thing!

**clutches pearls**

just kidding. lighten up folks. Hugh just gave a fine example of classic self-deprecating british humor… for those of you not yet familiar with it.

- fuzibuni on November 20th, 2009

That’s called British humour, people. Relax!

- Allie-Rose on November 20th, 2009

I watched Hugh’s movie ‘Nine Months’ last night (for the upteenth time lol) and he looked even then like he’d make a good dad, and that was 15 yrs ago.

Now he just needs someone to have his baby…any takers? lol!

- Autumn on November 20th, 2009

As was stated, he’s obviously joking. Even if that doesn’t translate well to paper, lighten up.

- Liliana on November 20th, 2009

Very funny interview, love him! And I agree with him that children are over parented these day.

- Anna on November 20th, 2009

Sorry, but putting his dry humor aside, I still think he doesn’t seem like the fatherly type…Too self-absorbed for that. Nothing wrong with being self-absorbed…it’s in some people’s genetic make-up and that’s it. But these types shouldn’t be physically capable of fathering children. We have enough screwed up people as it is. Leave parenting for the loving and giving ones- wink wink – Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborah Furness. I think these two are an example to many.

- Gabele on November 20th, 2009

How did I know that Hugh’s sense of humor-that utterly dry, British monotone that can turn the most mundane statement into something hilarious-would get lost on here? Hugh’s the funniest actor to me for that reason. Apparently I’m alone in my love for sarcasm.

- Lauren on November 20th, 2009

I love Hugh and he gave me the LOLs reading his quotes! Lauren, I’m a sarcasm fan, too – but I tend to keep it on the down low since a lot of people read it as snobbish or mean-spirited. I’m glad there’s someone on this site with the same sense of humor!

- Erin on November 20th, 2009

Wow! Apparently people can not be funny anymore, as a lot of you seem to have lost your sense of humor. What I can’t believe is that Hugh will be 50. He does not look a day over 40.

- mavs2980 on November 20th, 2009

gawd.. he was joking.
i cannot believe he is going to be 50!!! he’s looking fab.

- pia on November 21st, 2009

Gabele, what a silly thing to say!
How do you know he is not the ‘fatherly’ type? You don’t know him so don’t be so hasty with your judgements.

- M. on November 21st, 2009

If he needs any help he can call me

- txgal on November 21st, 2009

Still good looking at 50…hasn’t changed in 10 years at all! I thought he was funny, and raised the excellent point that too many children are over-parented these days.

- marfmom on November 21st, 2009

What is this 10 minute fathering a day routine buso. I was a 23.50 mother and the hubby was a 10min daddy but we didn’t have nannies, we could never afford them then much less now. I do agree that children today are over parented, Hughs right about that. Hugh is not too old to have kids, there are older ones out there. Take Celin Dion’s hubby for example. Hugh still looks young. I reckon just take his comments with a pinch of salt just like he claims he has wanted to retire from acting so many times. Seeing is believing. Hollywood is just a big hill of tinsel town humour. Don’t believe everything you hear or read. If it works for him God Bless Him. He’s so gorgeous. I’d be his childrens mother if I was single and a bit younger. I’m a year older than Hugh and I look 30 years old as everybody tells me. I don’t even act like a 50 year old and have a great sense of humour, sometimes overbearingly stupendous.Some of us just don’t want to grow up.

- maree kennedy on November 21st, 2009

What actually “over-parented” means? I´m not a native speaker, so don´t exactly know. If it means something like spoilt, I tend to agree, many children nowadays have the problem. Parents are too busy, don´t have enough time for children and try to compensate it by many expensive presents etc. However, if it means that parents give their children too much attention, I beg to differ. Some 30 years ago children could surely play all day outside without any supervision, but let´s not forget, that society was much more strict and safer at the same time. Since then world has changed a lot, society is much more opened, which is good on one side, but on the other there are many more occassions for meeting unwanted phenomenons (drugs etc.) and people (on the internet), the traffic is much heavier etc. So I don´t wonder, that parents look after their children much more than in the past.

- Petra on November 22nd, 2009

When I read his comment I just knew people would be up in arms. Personally I thought it was very funny. How can people not tell he was joking? I like what he said about over-parenting. Times definatley changed. A lot of parents seem a little paranoid. Rather than just enjoying their kids they spend all their time worrying about what might happen. I am only 21 and even I sit back sometimes and find myself commenting on how different things were in my day.

- Daisy1 on November 22nd, 2009

Oh, how I adore Hugh. Google any interview of his, it’s exactly like this, full of sarcasm. It’s his choice to have children, his ex (Elizabeth Hurley) was willing to leave her child with him during her honeymoon, clearly he’s not completely incapable

- stephanie on November 23rd, 2009

LMAO, how typically British. My English family think the same way. Children shouldn’t be spoiled or over parented.

- Dee on November 24th, 2009

I totally agree. My cousin has a couple of kids and can afford to spoil them and that is what they are spoiled and they act like it and the fussing over some parents do with their kids just makes me sick. Loving and caring them is one thing but spoiling them and trying to be around them and coddle them all the time is definitely wrong, wrong, wrong on all possible levels.

- Mariasha on November 24th, 2009

“Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have thought about having children at all. But now I have so many nephews and nieces and cousins and godchildren, I like the thought. But that’s on the basis that I can leave after ten minutes. I don’t know what it would be like 24 hours a day. I think I’d have a lot of nannies.” (Hugh Grant)
Sounds rather mature.)) The man is certainly ripe for such an abrupt change. It’s downright touching and can fill anyone’s eyes with tears of deep sympathy. No doubt he is a clever up-to-date chap. 49 is just the right age for a man to start brooding over his childless, blank and monotonous life.
Good luck, Hugh! Be brave and don’t get cold feet on the idea.) Fill the missing page. Don’t leave it blankety blank.)

- Alexandra on January 3rd, 2010