Cast Brenda Blethyn as Grace Trevethyn, a newly widowed middle-aged woman who is faced with the prospect of financial ruin and turns to growing cannabis under the tutelage of her gardener in order to save her family home. Blethyn, who was Ferguson's first choice, signed on the movie two years before shooting. Craig Ferguson as Matthew Stewart, Grace's gardener. Ferguson created the playful character with himself in mind. "I saw him as a decent chap who happens to like a bit of cannabis," Ferguson said. "He really cares about Grace and he wants to save her." Martin Clunes as Dr. Martin Bamford, a friend of Matthew… Martin Clunes’ character was spun off into a pair of films focusing on how he ended up in Cornwall. Later the character was renamed Dr. Martin Ellingham and underwent a complete personality change to become the sullen misanthrope that stars in the ITV television series Doc Martin, which states in its ending credits that the character was derived from the film Saving Grace. Valerie Edmond as Nicky, Matthew's frowning girlfriend. Edmond won the role of the village's fishing captain in a large open casting call. Tcheky Karyo as Jacques Chevalier Jamie Foreman as China MacFarlane, Jacques‘s bodyguard. Bill Bailey as Vince, Honey’s pot dealer. Diana Quick as Honey Chambers Tristan Sturrock as Harvey Phyllida Law as Margaret Sutton Linda Kerr Scott as Diana Skinner Leslie Phillips as Rev. Gerald Percy Denise Coffey as Mrs Hopkins Paul Brooke as Charlie Ken Campbell as Sgt. Alfred Mabely Clive Merrison as Quentin Rhodes Production According to Blethyn, Saving Grace was conceived after screenwriter Mark Crowdy had been "talking to somebody in Los Angeles and somebody mentioned apropos of nothing that really good cannabis was more valuable than gold, and he thought, oh, maybe that would make an interesting story." Born and grown up in Cornwall, he was inspired to create a story that was set in the South West England county. Crowdy, who penned the script along with Craig Ferguson, approached Blethyn several years into writing. Soundtrack Reception Commercial success The film was released on 19 May 2000 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where it grossed £3,000,000 during its theatrical run. Although it took only a tenth of simultaneously released Gladiator's box office haul, Saving Grace was considered a good showing in consideration of the film's low budget. In the United States the film opened on