Drew Barrymore standing in for Hugh Grant after the Oscars interview

Drew Barrymore is championing actor Hugh Grant amid his backlash over interviewing model Ashley Graham at the 2023 Academy Awards.

Grant, 62, was interviewed by Graham on the Oscars red carpet, where many viewers noticed he gave her brief answers and appeared to roll his eyes after it was wrapped.

When Graham asked the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery actor what he was wearing, he simply replied, “My suit.”

His awkward interview drew criticism from many – including Piers Morgan.

However, Barrymore, 48, did have some insight into Grant’s defense during the Friday episode of her talk show. “The Drew Barrymore Show.”

“I swear if you know Hugh, that’s his way of loving you,” Barrymore said during the episode. “I swear, okay, so it’s also funny because there’s this thing going on with him and Ashley Graham on the red carpet and people say he’s such a curmudgeon and she’s so freaky.”

The talk show host continued: “No, this is Hugh Grant. You think you get this charming movie star and what you really get is grumpy Hugh and then you fall in love with grumpy Hugh. If he says that, I’ll tell you, he’s absolutely funny, he doesn’t mean it in a negative way.”

She added that the actor Graham met on the red carpet was the “real” Hugh, calling him a “hilarious good guy.”

The Post reached out to both Barrymore and Grant’s rep for comment.

Her response came when originally asked for his comment on her singing in the 2007 film they co-starred in, Music and Lyrics, where he recently said she had an “awful” singing voice.

“Drew Barrymore was in this film with me and I don’t think she would mind if I say her singing is just awful. I’ve heard dogs bark better than they sing,” Grant said of his former co-star in an interview with Wired this week.

Barrymore also took to her Instagram page to share a hilarious comeback to Grant’s comments on her singing.

In the video she posted, Barrymore sang the song from the film into a hairbrush and wrote “#SingForHughGrant JOIN ME” in the caption.

Grant has not spoken publicly about his encounter with Graham since appearing at the 2023 Oscars.

Just days later, he appeared on “The View” but wasn’t asked to come down the red carpet – something the talk show’s hosts have been criticized for on social media.

However, Graham had something to say when asked about it by TMZ.

“You know what, my mom told me to kill people with kindness, so go for it,” the model said.