Actor Hugh Grant once revealed that fellow actor Robert Downey Jr. reportedly hated him when they first worked together, though the Avengers actor later publicly reached out to make amends on X. Throughout his career, Grant worked with many famous actors in great movies of various genres. Talking about those collaborations, he offered his unfiltered impressions of colleagues.

Among Grant's many Hollywood collaborations, his first experience with Robert Downey Jr. stands out for an unexpectedly awkward start.   

British actor Hugh Grant once shared a candid and amusing story about one of his former co-stars, Robert Downey Jr. He discussed it with PEOPLE’s editor in chief Jess Cagle on the January 2018 episode of The Jess Cagle Interview. Grant looked back at his partnership and said he thought his Restoration co-star hated him when they first met. 

“He hated me. He took one look at me and wanted to kill me,” Grant joked, recalling what he believed was Downey Jr.'s first impression of him.  

Meanwhile, after the admission, the Doctor Doom actor took to X to praise Grant’s growth as an actor and his advocacy against privacy violations. He had publicly confessed that their relationship had improved for the better in the last two decades. He added that it was time to bury the hatchet and hoped they could meet again, indicating that any past tensions had long since been resolved. 

On the other hand, in the same interview, Grant said that his Sense and Sensibility co-star Emma Thompson was a genius with an eccentric personality. He also admitted that Meryl Streep would not wear contacts and could not really see her co-stars in a scene. He joked that her eyesight was so bad he could have been Denzel Washington and she would not have noticed. 

Unlike Robert Downey Jr, Grant said that he has always had a tight friendship with his Bridget Jones Diary co-star Renée Zellweger. He called her a generous and remarkable actress but also joked that she was as marvelously eccentric as Emma Thompson. He then opened up about a gift that Zellweger gave him. It was a photography book that was confiscated by customs in Marrakesh.  

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While Grant's memories of Downey Jr. offered a glimpse into their early working relationship, their only on-screen collaboration came in the acclaimed 1995 historical drama.

Restoration, released in 1995, was the first and only on-screen collaboration between Hugh Grant and Robert Downey Jr. The historical drama, set during the reign of King Charles II, is directed by Michael Hoffman and based on Rose Tremain's novel. Downey acted as Robert Merivel, and Grant played the role of Elias Finn. 

Merivel was a talented young doctor whose intelligence earned him the favour of King Charles II, drawing him into the glamour and moral excess of the royal court. On the other hand, Finn was a witty courtier. His charm and sharp sense of humor reflected the elegance and intrigue of the Restoration court. 

Meanwhile, even though Grant’s story of Downey Jr. started as a funny anecdote, it showed how professional relationships evolve over time. Even though Downey Jr. has confirmed the relationship dynamics on multiple occasions, their once-strained relationship has turned into an amusing story in Hollywood. Additionally, it also demonstrates the candid approach Hugh Grant has in telling stories, entertaining people for years to come.

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What do you make of Robert Downey Jr. and Hugh Grant's journey from a rocky first impression to burying the hatchet years later? Let us know in the comments.