Hugh Grant says ‘hate actually’ is all around as he calls out online abuse

Actor referenced his 2003 rom-com Love Actually as he condemned internet trolls

Hugh Grant has said that “hate actually is all around”, in an apparent comparison with his 2003 film Love Actually and the real world.

The actor made the remark in relation to the comments section of the MailOnline, retweeting a post about messages suggesting a black woman only secured a top job at John Lewis in order to tick diversity boxes.

“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world,” wrote Grant, “I think about the comments section of the MailOnLine. If you click on the link I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that hate actually is all around.”

Grant appears to be referencing his opening monologue from Richard Curtis's Love Actually, in which his character says, “Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere [...] If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around.”

The star recently made headlines for saying the result of the December general election was a “catastrophe” and the UK is “finished”, in a withering condemnation of British politics.

Grant was a vocal campaigner during the election for Labour and the Liberal Democrats.