The writer of Four Weddings And A Funeral never wanted Hugh Grant to play the part.
Instead, the late Alan Rickman was the favourite for rom-com boss Richard Curtis who believed bumbling Brit Hugh was a bit annoying.
Seventy actors auditioned for the part of bachelor Charles in the 1994 hit comedy and it came down to Hugh and Alan, who was 14 years his senior.
Eventually it was down to Hugh and Alan Rickman and I went for Alan but I was outvoted.
I just thought Hugh was a bit annoying, too good looking, a bit posh, he said. I was right about all of those things but he is also very good.
It was Four Weddings And A Funeral, not to mention his appearance at the premiere with Elizabeth Hurley in that safety pin dress, that shot Hugh Grant to global fame.
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In the film, he falls for American beauty Carrie (played by Andie MacDowell) over the course of five social occasions.
Richard Curtis was also the brains behind Notting Hill, Bridget Jones Diary and Love Actually, which placed Alan in a love triangle with his wife and his attractive secretary.
The beloved actor, who went on to play Snape in the Harry Potter films, died of pancreatic cancer in 2016.
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