Paddington in Peru director Dougal Wilson explains how they managed the fantastic post-credits scene cameo. While it subs out Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins for Emily Mortimer as Mary Brown, Paddington in Peru‘s cast sees a lot of familiar faces (and voices) from the previous movies, including Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Imelda Staunton, Samuel Joslin, Madeleine Harris, and Jim Broadbent. As the Brown family embarks on a raucous adventure to Peru, they also encounter new characters played by the likes of Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Wilson explains how Hugh Grant’s cameo at the end of Paddington in Peru came to be. As he and his writing team were developing the script, they thought it was a shame that Grant could not be involved in the movie. Then, he thought that it might be both fun and “reconciliatory” if Paddington were to “meet his nemesis from the second film.” When he pitched it to Grant, the actor was thrilled about the idea, and even helped write the scene. Check out the full explanation from Wilson below:

He was obviously such an iconic character in Paddington 2, and everyone loved him. At the end of Paddington 2, he ends up getting his comeuppance for his dastardly deeds by ending up in prison. Everyone kept asking me while we were making Paddington in Peru, ‘Oh, is Hugh Grant in it? Is Hugh Grant in it?’ I was saying, ‘Well, he’s in prison, so how could he be in this anyway?’

Then we started thinking while we were developing the script, ‘That is a shame that he’s in prison and we’re in Peru, so it’s quite tricky to involve him in this story.’

One of the themes of the film is the theme of finding your home, going back to your home, questioning what home is, where home is. One of the nice things about his bear tribe coming to London and visiting him is that his family is everywhere. His home is in two places. Home is where you find family. Home is where you find love. And he would want to show his bear tribe London.

I thought it was a very Paddington reconciliatory thing to do to go. Meet his nemesis from the second film. Wouldn’t it be fun if Paddington was the one visiting with his bear tribe, and they were visiting Phoenix because Paddington’s forgiven Phoenix?

It all seemed very appropriate and funny. Phoenix Buchanan being faced not by one bear, but by a whole tribe of them, and how he would react to that and how he would have to try and put up with that because he knows the bears only mean well by visiting him. We wanted to mirror the scene in Paddington 2 where all the prisoners pop up with Paddington introducing their names.

He loved the idea. He even was involved in the writing of that scene and what he would say to all these bears when they all appeared.

Hugh came up with the idea that Phoenix was imminently about to be released. And of course, his thoughts immediately turned to the theater, his natural home, and in front of him is presented his possible cast for his new production. The whole thing just seemed quite ridiculous and funny. He was very, very up for it and wrote the idea of the Bears becoming involved in this new production, which — I would love to see that.

What This Means For Paddington in Peru

The Scene Sets Up A Potential Sequel

As Wilson references, Grant plays Phoenix Buchanan in the critically acclaimed Paddington 2. He is a performer who meets Paddington at a fair and then later frames the bear for stealing a rare pop-up book. This winds Paddington up in jail, and he must spend the movie working together with his new jail friends to escape and defeat Buchanan. Justice is served at the end of the movie when Grant’s character winds up in prison, creating an easy excuse for him not to be the villain of the next movie.

The mid-credits cameo still allows Grant to appear in the movie without being the main villain. As Wilson alludes to, the moment also provides a stronger potential for a sequel opportunity, as Phoenix hints at the idea of “the Bears becoming involved in this new production.” Seeing Paddington and his fellow Peruvian Bears in a Phoenix Buchanan stage show could be an entertaining plot for a potential Paddington 4, even though the franchise’s future is uncertain.

Our Take On The Paddington In Peru Cameo

The Moment Makes The Series Seem More Connected

Apart from the potential sequel setup, another reason why this Grant cameo is so effective is it makes the franchise feel more connected. With the Brown family catapulted completely outside of London and into Peru, Paddington in Peru feels somewhat like a completely different adventure than the first two movies, a distinction which is only highlighted by the Mary Brown casting change. Including Grant, along with some familiar jokes throughout, however, makes Paddington a more cohesive trilogy.

Source: EW