'Going commando': Hugh Grant and Josh Hartnett on Guy Ritchie's unorthodox directing

Not long ago, A-list stars Josh Hartnett and Hugh Grant took us behind the curtains with their experience of collaborating with Guy Ritchie in the film 'Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre'. In retrospect, their candid revelations countered usual perceptions of the directing process and bore a distinct narrative of Ritchie's unique and unconventional style.

The Ritchie Rollercoaster: Unpredictable Yet Creative

As recounted by both stars to Collider back then, they entered the project with some idea about Ritchie's distinct filmmaking technique, having collaborated with the filmmaker in the past. Hartnett being in Ritchie's 'Wrath of Man' in 2021, while Grant appeared in 'The Gentleman' in 2019. Grant freely admitted his initial discomfort in surrendering to Ritchie's spontaneous directing style. "Well, it's alarming. That is alarming up to a point, and I have had tense moments with him about it because… I like very, very deep, thorough preparation," he shared.

On the same token, Hartnett offered his perspective. “Acting commando is about exactly the way you have to put it. It's scary at first, but once you rip the Band-Aid off, It's comforting knowing that the director is not exactly certain what he wants until he sees it...That, to me, means that he's really paying attention and that he's sculpting something in the moment.”

An Unanticipated Aubrey Plaza: The Film's Only Female Lead

Not just Guy Ritchie, but the pair also candidly discussed sharing the screen with the film's only femme fatale, Aubrey Plaza. "She's a great comedian. You really, really don't know which way she's going to go at any moment, not only on the set, but off the set," Grant reflected. Meanwhile, Hartnett gleefully added, “Yeah, Hey. I would agree with that. I think Aubrey is multitalented...From my perspective, being able to improvise with these guys was really intimidating.” Relishing the anecdotes from the set, audiences were left enraptured, agreeing that both on and off-screen, the team of 'Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre' was indeed a thrilling ride.

Several parts of the text in this article, including the title, were generated with the help of an AI tool.