---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never meant to be in romantic comedies…"
description: "\"I never meant to be in romantic comedies; it's just what ended up happening. But they are tricky, in a post-1960s sexual revolution way. It was easier ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/hugh-grant-4025_comedies_i-never-meant-to-be-in-romantic-comedies_424135.jpg"
---

#  I never meant to be in romantic comedies; it's just what…

![“I never meant to be in romantic comedies; it's just what ended up happening. But they are tricky, in a post-1960s sexual revolution way. It was easier when you couldn't have sex scenes: everything crackled very nicely. They're not easy.” quote by Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/hugh-grant-4025_comedies_i-never-meant-to-be-in-romantic-comedies_424135.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/hugh-grant-4025_comedies_i-never-meant-to-be-in-romantic-comedies_424135.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/hugh-grant-4025_comedies_i-never-meant-to-be-in-romantic-comedies_424135.jpg)

> “I never meant to be in romantic comedies; it's just what ended up happening. But they are tricky, in a post-1960s sexual revolution way. It was easier when you couldn't have sex scenes: everything crackled very nicely. They're not easy.”

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker reflects on unintentionally becoming associated with romantic comedies, noting that modern sexual openness makes them more complex than earlier, more restrained eras.

**In simple terms:** He didn’t plan a rom‑com career; today’s sexual freedom complicates the genre.

Key Takeaway

Accept genre expectations but stay authentic.

Themes

film career sexuality culture genre authenticity

Mood

reflective wry thoughtful

Type

observational humorous

When to use this quote

- acting roles
- script choices
- public perception
- industry trends

Key Concepts

typecasting media evolution social change

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance personal values with audience expectations?
- Can genre evolve without losing its core charm?

A Different Perspective

Older comedies relied on implied intimacy, limiting depth.

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## Related quotes

> [I love good romantic comedies. There just aren't a lot of them. But, I love comedies, and I'll never stop doing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/i-love-good-romantic-comedies-there-just-aren-t-a-lot-of-them-but-i/)

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> [A lot of romantic comedies are just light romantic dramas, or the comedy comes off second-best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-simsion/a-lot-of-romantic-comedies-are-just-light-romantic-dramas-or-the/)

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[Brad Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-anderson/)

> [As it is, I have a limited range as an actor - light comedy. I have never been a fan of romantic comedies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/as-it-is-i-have-a-limited-range-as-an-actor-light-comedy-i-have-never/)

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

> [I've always enjoyed sex scenes, though you're not really supposed to. The classic answer is, 'Oh, it's not sexy at all because there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-ve-always-enjoyed-sex-scenes-though-you-re-not-really-supposed-to/)

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

> [I regard romantic comedies as a subgenre of sci-fi, in which the world operates according to different rules than my regular human world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/i-regard-romantic-comedies-as-a-subgenre-of-sci-fi-in-which-the-world/)

[Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/)

> [ I think that's very important for romantic comedies, that they do deal with \[modern\]issues. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lopez/i-think-that-s-very-important-for-romantic-comedies-that-they-do-deal/)

[Jennifer Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lopez/)

> [I'm not a big fan of romantic comedies, believe it or not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-hudson/i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-romantic-comedies-believe-it-or-not/)

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> [It's the contemporary woman that movies don't know what to do with, other than bathe her in a bridal glow in romantic comedies where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/it-s-the-contemporary-woman-that-movies-don-t-know-what-to-do-with/)

[James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/)

> [If you look at romantic comedies as pieces of commerce, the audience is looking for wish fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/if-you-look-at-romantic-comedies-as-pieces-of-commerce-the-audience/)

[Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/)

> [I'd played a lot of best friends, and/or bad guys, which seems to be my lot in life. In romantic comedies there's always a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-corddry/i-d-played-a-lot-of-best-friends-and-or-bad-guys-which-seems-to-be-my/)

[Rob Corddry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-corddry/)

## More by Hugh Grant

> [I've driven people mad on films that I've made - I want more takes; I want to try new lines. Then I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-ve-driven-people-mad-on-films-that-i-ve-made-i-want-more-takes-i/)

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> [Some newspapers in Britain have become closer to these kind of mafia families. They wield an incredible power. They choose our governments, they choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/some-newspapers-in-britain-have-become-closer-to-these-kind-of-mafia/)

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> [Well, you know I have an office, my film offices. So I know that syndrome. I fancy offices, so there must be something wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/well-you-know-i-have-an-office-my-film-offices-so-i-know-that/)

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

> [I'm such a chronic relativist, I can't hold down a strong opinion about many things long enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-m-such-a-chronic-relativist-i-can-t-hold-down-a-strong-opinion/)

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

> [Do I think human beings are meant to be in 40-year-long monogamous, faithful, relationships? No, No, No. Whoever said they were? Only the Bible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/do-i-think-human-beings-are-meant-to-be-in-40-year-long-monogamous/)

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

> [And film acting is incredibly tedious, just by its nature. It's incredibly, mind numbingly slow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/and-film-acting-is-incredibly-tedious-just-by-its-nature-it-s/)

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> [Being on a film set, it's mind-numbing. It's like torture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/being-on-a-film-set-it-s-mind-numbing-it-s-like-torture/)

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

> [Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of acting: character acting and lead acting. And in my life, to begin with, in the 1980s, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/broadly-speaking-there-are-two-kinds-of-acting-character-acting-and/)

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

> ['The Lair of the White Worm' is quite a strange film. It's difficult to be good when you're saying lines that have been translated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/the-lair-of-the-white-worm-is-quite-a-strange-film-it-s-difficult-to/)

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

> [The only reason my work seems to be eclectic up to a certain period is because I was a failure as an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/the-only-reason-my-work-seems-to-be-eclectic-up-to-a-certain-period/)

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> [Although I'm largely doing other things in life, it's very nice occasionally to put my toe back in the waters of show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/although-i-m-largely-doing-other-things-in-life-it-s-very-nice/)

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> [Now, I quite like it. For years I sat in these interviews and everyone said, 'You're always Mister Nice Guy, why don't you ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/now-i-quite-like-it-for-years-i-sat-in-these-interviews-and-everyone/)

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> [The reason I turn down 99% of a hundred, I mean a thousand, scripts is because romantic comedies are often very romantic but seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/the-reason-i-turn-down-99-of-a-hundred-i-mean-a-thousand-scripts-is/)

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

> [It's always more fun to be an anti-hero. They're more interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/it-s-always-more-fun-to-be-an-anti-hero-they-re-more-interesting/)

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

[Explore all 117 Hugh Grant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

## More Comedies quotes

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

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> [In comedy, if you're going to commission something commission two series, don't commission one because so many comedies are finding their feet and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/in-comedy-if-you-re-going-to-commission-something-commission-two/)

[Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/)

> [ Comedy is lively, comedy is joy, and that's what keeps us \[people\] going, we've got to look forward to little, little happiness's. Little, little… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-brooks/comedy-is-lively-comedy-is-joy-and-that-s-what-keeps-us-people-going/)

[Mel Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-brooks/)

> [I've been watching 'The Cosby Show' and 'Roseanne' a lot right now, and those work so well because they're not, like, jokey comedies; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-jacobson/i-ve-been-watching-the-cosby-show-and-roseanne-a-lot-right-now-and/)

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> [If you look at romantic comedies as pieces of commerce, the audience is looking for wish fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/if-you-look-at-romantic-comedies-as-pieces-of-commerce-the-audience/)

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> [I have observed that in comedies the best actor plays the droll, while some scrub rogue is made the fine gentleman or hero. Thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/i-have-observed-that-in-comedies-the-best-actor-plays-the-droll-while/)

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> [I think a lot of the romantic comedies need to catch up with what's actually kind of happening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-meriwether/i-think-a-lot-of-the-romantic-comedies-need-to-catch-up-with-what-s/)

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