(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Hugh Grant is incredibly proud of his new movie as it is a "rare" example of him actually acting.

The British star is best known for playing bumbling characters in movies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral.

He's tackled someone completely new in his upcoming animated offering The Pirates! Band of Misfits, where he voices Pirate Captain. Hugh was astounded when he first saw his seafaring character as he looks so different to the handsome star.

"It did slightly scare me when I saw my character. He is this big, barrel-chested, bearded man. That's never been me. But I gave it my best shot," he explained.

"They didn't want any of that 'arrgh' stuff. But it's not really my voice. It's deeper and chestier. Actual relations of mine tell me it cannot be me. I'm rather proud it's the rare example of me acting."

The movie sees Pirate Captain attempting to rally his crew in the hope of winning the Pirate of the Year prize. He's competing against his arch-nemeses Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz, voiced by Jeremy Piven and Salma Hayek respectively.

Hugh explained the premise of the picture doesn't bode well for his character.

"He's terrible," Huge told USA Today. "They never get any money. They crash their boat. They are useless. This whole film really is a celebration of failure. It is all very British and silly."

The picture is due out next March and it's the first movie that the 51-year-old actor has worked on for several years.

His last film was 2009's Did You Hear about the Morgans? and he's had fun taking some time out.

"I was very happy not really doing anything," he admitted. "But then [this] came up, and it made me laugh so much. I thought I'd give it a whirl." (C) Cover Media