UNITED KINGDOM: Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore talk about making music for their upcoming romantic comedy, 'Music and Lyrics'

Two Hollywood stars who've become romantic comedy experts over the years, Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, have teamed up for 'Music and Lyrics'. The film sees Hugh Grant stars as Alex Fletcher, a washed up 80's pop star with a second chance at the big time, when he's given the opportunity to write a song for the current day pop diva, (newcomer Haley Bennett). The problem is that, not having had a hit for years, he's a bit rusty at his craft - he's also never been the one to write the lyrics to any of his songs. Enter Drew Barrymore as Sophie, the quirky young woman who waters Fletcher's plants and has a flair for words. The two begin a collaboration to find all the right notes and words and - naturally - discover something about themselves along the way. Drew Barrymore gave Reuters Television a lengthy exposition on the developing relationship and chemistry between the two characters: "Okay, what we do, is we hang out with each other. Much to both our dismay we figure out that we're polar opposites and don't have much in common. And then we work on the material, we work on blocking out the scenes and rehearsing them, we hang out, we get to know each other better, we get out on the set, we start believing in these people, making them come to life, really care about the process and be extremely passionate about getting it right and making it the best it can be and realising that we kind of oddly parallel our characters which is-- their an odd couple, their out to push each other to do the best they can do and bring that out in each other and then we just keep going along and eventually in the movie when we realise that maybe these two people are good for each other - truly, truly good for each other - is when the 'in love' part starts to kick in and by then we're comfortable, we're relaxed, we're making each other laugh, we're having a good time and then we've got to kiss and do all that stuff, which is awkward in the process of film making, but Hugh makes me laugh through it and he's lovely and you just say 'Oh, this is nice'. And then somehow out of that, is where the chemistry comes from," she said, before turning to Grant to ask: "What do you think, Hugh, about my answer?" "To be honest, I wasn't listening," a joking Grant replied. For his part, Grant said he had reservations about playing a pop star, given that he can't sing. But he added that while the singing problems could be solved with some studio mixing, teachers and computers work, what he really dreaded were the film's dance scenes. "I have become someone who barely ever dances, I have to be really really drunk to party and once every five years I might dance and so doing that at 7 in the morning, y'know, feeling stone cold sober - that was hell. That was hell," he said. Grant joked that some practice at home and and coaching helped his moves. "Yeah, most of it was done by myself. Everytime I practised in front of the choreographer I was paralysed with embarrassment - couldn't do anything. And I would say 'But I was good last night in my underpants' and he'd say 'Well, take your clothes off' and I did and he, uh, raped me and I felt really used and abused, but it did help, it did help. So everytime we practised after that we'd kick off with rape, and then move off into moves," he dead-panned. 'Music and Lyrics' makes its world premiere in London on Monday (February 5).

ITN Source | February 8, 2007

Tags:. .blocking. .alex. .upcoming. .themselves. .plants