LONDON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- If it wasn't for gifted screenwriter Richard Curtis, Hugh Grant might still be auditioning for roles in obscure European film and television projects.
At least that's what Grant thinks.
Talking to reporters about the man who penned the scripts for his most famous films: "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Notting Hill" and "Bridget Jones's Diary," Grant insisted he owed his career entirely to Curtis.
"I am the lucky one here," Grant said while promoting "Love Actually," the wonderful new ensemble romantic comedy that is Curtis' eagerly awaited directorial debut. "I was saved entirely by the fact that he wrote 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' and would still be doing four-part French miniseries if it wasn't for (Curtis) ... It is entirely one way."
"I think it's the other way around," Curtis argued. "I think you're extremely lucky to find someone who can do what you want exactly and Hugh has done that."
Noting the impressive ensemble cast includes numerous actors -- Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, who could very well carry a film on his or her own -- Grant said he had no problem sharing the limelight.
"I'm going through a phase in my life where I'm not that keen to act at all, really, especially in lead parts. I just find it too stressful," he confessed. "I'd rather sit in front of the telly ... So, in a way, it's ideal to come in and do a bit."
"Love Actually," in which Grant plays a young prime minister in love with an office worker (Martine McCutcheon), opens Nov. 7.
