Trivia / Paddington 2

• Career Resurrection: A downplayed case, since while Hugh Grant was still well-known and working frequently at the time of release, most of his projects were either not very commercially successful or were critically panned, and it was frequently suggested that his career was on a downward trend. Not only was Paddington 2 both critically and commercially successful, however, but Grant's performance was frequently singled out as both one of the best parts of the movie and as one of his all-time career highlights. He's also gone on to have some fairly well-received projects afterwards, such as A Very English Scandal.
• Channel Hop: After the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke out, StudioCanal sold the North American distribution rights to Warner Bros., who coincidentally released the first film in Spain.
• Celebrity Voice Actor:
  • In the French dub, Guillaume Gallienne reprised the role of Paddington.
  • As with the first film in the Ukrainian dub, Paddington is voiced by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was elected president of Ukraine in 2019 (after playing a president in Servant of the People) and became known to the whole world with the Russian invasion of the country in 2022.
• Creator's Favorite: Hugh Grant recalled being quite confused when he was mockingly described as being in the film at an awards show, as if it was something he’d been reduced to, as he feels it may well be the best film he's ever done.
• Defictionalization: A real life version of the London pop-up book has been made to tie in with the film.
• In Memoriam: "For our friend, Michael Bond."
• The Other Darrin:
  • In the Hebrew dub, Henry Brown is now voiced by Assaf Frienta, after his original voiceover Amos Shoov died of cancer in 2015.
  • The entire Brazilian Portuguese cast is different because the dub moved from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro.
• Playing Against Type: Hugh Grant, best known for playing upper-class types who deliver every line with dripping sarcasm, plays the ridiculously camp and theatrical Phoenix and is absolutely magnificent in the role.
• Preview Piggybacking: In its' first week of release in the United States, fans of Teen Titans Go! went to see this movie just to see the teaser trailer for Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.
• Production Posse:
  • Harry Potter co-stars Brendan Gleeson, Imelda Staunton, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, and Julie Walters all star in the film. Hugh Grant had also nearly played Gilderoy Lockhart at one point.
  • Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant and Jim Broadbent had also starred in Cloud Atlas.
  • Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant and Joanna Lumley all played the Doctor in Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death.
• Reality Subtext: Phoenix Buchanan, played by Hugh Grant, is a formerly acclaimed actor who has faded into obscurity and is desperate to regain his celebrity status again. At the time, Grant himself had been regarded by many as something of a has-been, having appeared in a string of flops after being a highly successful romantic leading man in his early career. His widely-praised performances in both Paddington 2 and Florence Foster Jenkins ultimately served as a Career Resurrection for Grant, with subsequent films allowing him to show more of his talent as a legitimate character actor.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Nicole Kidman was interested in returning as Millicent from the previous film, but she ultimately didn't appear.
  • As stated above, The Weinstein Company was set to release the film in North America, as they did the first film, and a teaser trailer with their logo even appeared in theaters (for the record, the teaser trailer that WB released after picking up the rights is exactly the same beside the different logos). The aforementioned scandal broke off that arrangement.
  • After the scandal broke out and StudioCanal began looking for a new US distributor, Sony Pictures, Lionsgate (who acquired the US home video rights to the first film after purchasing TWC's distribution partner, Anchor Bay Entertainment), and Open Road were in the running behind Warner to get the rights.
• Word of Gay: Combined with Word of Saint Paul. In one interview, Hugh Grant has stated that his character (Phoenix Buchanan) is possibly gay.

---