AceShowbiz - Drew Barrymore has come to "grumpy" Hugh Grant's defense after his awkward Oscars interview went viral. Interviewer Ashley Graham received short answers, smirks, and an eye roll from Hugh when she chatted to him on the red carpet at the 95th Academy Awards on March 12 but Drew, 48, insisted that Hugh, 62, is just a "curmudgeon" and doesn't mean to be negative.

"People are like, 'Oh, he's such a curmudgeon and she's so thrown.' I'm like, 'No, that is Hugh Grant.' You think you're getting this charming movie star and what you really get is grumpy Hugh," she said on her talk show.

"And then, you fall in love with grumpy Hugh. When he says that, I'm telling you, he is being absolutely funny. He doesn't mean one negative thing about it. The person that Ashley Graham met on that carpet is the real Hugh."

Drew added that insults are her "Music and Lyrics" co-star's way of showing affection, explaining, "If you know Hugh, that is his way of loving you."

Meanwhile, Ashley has said she wants to stick to her mum's advice to be "kind" amid the fallout from her now-infamous interview with Hugh. Ashley told TMZ when she was asked about her reaction to the wave of support she has had since the chat, "You know what, my mama told me to kill people with kindness."

Hugh's reactions to Ashley during her interview with him saw it branded "the worst interview ever," with droves of fans lashing out at the actor for his disinterest during the backstage chat.

The interview included Hugh telling Ashley he was wearing "my suit" when she asked him who designed his tuxedo, before he added, "My tailor." He also told her when she asked him what it was liked to act in "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery", "Well, I'm barely in it, I was in it for about three seconds." When Ashley added, "You had fun right?", Hugh said, "Errr... almost." He then looked away and rolled his eyes.