Hugh Grant brings audience to knees with cheeky dig at his infamous 1995 arrest

When Hugh Grant hit it big in 1995 after Four Weddings and a Funeral, his career was nearly derailed by a scandelous encounter in Hollywood that many predicted he’d never recover from. Yet, recover he did, and now, nearly 30 years removed from the incident, Hugh Grant can’t help but poke fun, bringing the house to its knees at a recent event with a refreshingly off-the-cuff joke at his own expense.

Hugh Grant was in attendance at the TCL Chinese Theatre as part of a screening at AFI Fest this week. Once he stepped up to the mic, Grant gave attention to both the movie he was there promoting (Heretic) and the location of the screening. “I have nothing interesting to add to that except that it is very nice to be here. Hollywood Boulevard has always been a lucky place for me.”

For those who don’t know or forgot that part of Hugh Grant’s past, the actor was picked up on Hollywood Boulevard one night in 1995 with a prostitute named Divine Brown. The resulting arrest gave us not only a glimpse into the Hollywood elite’s need for a little action no matter the cost, but also a classic mug shot. Here was a guy generally seen as one of the more charming Brits in modern cinema, breaking out internationally with Four Weddings and a Funeral. That his arrest came just a few weeks before his American breakout, Nine Months, was about to drop only added to the embarrassment. From there, Hugh Grant had no choice but to go on the redemption tour, turning up on The Tonight Show, where Jay Leno famously asked him, “What the hell were you thinking?!”

Nine Months would end up opening at #3, behind Apollo 13 and – probably more humiliating than getting caught with a “woman of the night” – Under Siege 2. Hugh Grant would of course rebound just fine, becoming one of the go-tos of rom-coms. Heck, he’ll even be reprising one of his more popular characters, Daniel Cleaver, for the fourth Bridget Jones movie.

Hugh Grant’s latest, Heretic, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (where our own Chris Bumbray gave it a 7/10), and is set to hit theaters on November 8th.

What do you remember from Hugh Grant’s arrest? Why do you think he made such a strong recovery?