Hugh Grant prepares for his next role

With the popularity of ”Notting Hill,” Hugh Grant has once again established himself as the go-to guy when casting a modestly charming romantic lead. But he’s determined not to stay on the Cary Grant track forever, judging from some of the future projects he’s developing with his and Elizabeth Hurley’s production company. ”There’s one very silly one that involves me and the Queen and an L.A. rapper, all set mainly in downtown L.A.,” says Grant. ”At the moment it’s called ‘Her Majesty’s Homey.”’

Prepping for an outrageous comedy may mean shaving off a little of that polite British veneer. Luckily he’s gotten a head start, courtesy of tutelage from James Caan, Grant’s costar in August’s Mob comedy ”Mickey Blue Eyes.” ”(He taught me) how to blow my nose without a handkerchief, which I’ve never come across before,” remembers Grant. ”We filmed in the dead of winter in New York, and you get very cold and get a runny nose. He had a wonderful Brooklyn technique for holding one nostril and just blowing, and these extraordinary cables come out. It’s something that English people don’t do much, but I can do it quite well now.” With Grant showing such aptitude for gross-out gags, someone better alert the Farrelly brothers.