Richard E. Grant interview: Stealing the show in 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?'
Photo courtesy of Marco Cerritos
Character actor Richard E. Grant has been making movies for the better part of twenty years but it’s his most recent role in the acclaimed drama “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” that’s giving him some of the best notices of his career. He plays a charismatic New York hustler in the 1980’s who alongside Melissa McCarthy (in another powerhouse dramatic turn) concoct a forgery scheme to make ends meet. The story is based on the true life tale of writer Lee Israel and her desperate attempts to find work in an unforgiving industry.
Grant recently traveled to San Francisco and when shaking his hand one of the first things he brings up is his aversion to alcohol. Ever since he found out he was allergic to it at 17 he has sipped ginger ale to blend in socially. I’m sure him not drinking is just fine, considering the man has worked with Francis Ford Coppola (“Bram Stoker’s Dracula”), Robert Altman (“Gosford Park”) and is set to be in the next “Star Wars” movie.
Younger fans have noticed him from “Logan” and “Game of Thrones” but he’s also quick to point out that “Hudson Hawk” and the on-set drama that ensued it still follow him to this day. We spoke about that and much more during his press tour to promote “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” and the following is a transcription of that conversation.
Q: Since you’re going around from city to city answering a lot of questions, does it become a chore for you after a while or can you get used to it?
Richard E. Grant: It is part of the job. If you are going around and promoting a movie like specifically “Hudson Hawk,” when you’ve got journalists telling you to your face how much they hate your movie, that’s a tough call. You’ve got to keep on smiling because the reasons you began doing this were with the best intentions.
Q: I guess you won’t be working again with Bruce Willis soon.
Grant: (laughs) I don’t think he’d want to work with me.
Q: When you’re on set as an actor what kinds of things do you look for in your directors to feel more comfortable?
Grant: Somebody who is collaborative, compassionate and not a micro manager. I’ve worked with people like that who are very controlling and as a result the thing is dead because you’re not given license to be free in any way. Marielle Heller creates an environment where there’s an emotional safety net. You want someone to look after you.
Q: Based on your chemistry onscreen it seems you and Melissa McCarthy got along too well on set.
Grant: (laughs) I have to tell you something. She’s unkind, she’s always late, she hated me, she never learned her lines, she is Lee Israel. I worship her and I know actors always say this but these 28 days that we had last Winter in New York were just absolutely wonderful. We were bereft when we all had to say goodbye. She feels completely non-judgmental. What you see is what you get and I think that’s why people love her. It’s not fake and it’s not calculated, if you feel something is wrong around her you feel like you want to make it better for her. There’s not many people that you can say that about. She’s a powerful movie star who carries her authority very lightly.
Q: I’m guessing with you being in “Logan” recently you’ve been getting a lot of younger fans recognizing you on the street, right?
Grant: That’s true.
Q: What about us older guys? Do you get recognized more for “Hudson Hawk” or “Spice World?”
Grant: It’s a mixture. Every other day someone comes up to me with a mixture from the vaults of time. That’s the beauty of it, something that was critically annihilated before now has a huge following. Whatever floats your boat, just don’t make me do “Hudson Hawk 2.”
Q: What’s the weirdest or craziest thing you’ve received from a fan?
Grant: I had someone that stalked me from Chicago and told me that if I didn’t see her she would commit suicide. She then turned up outside my daughter’s school when she was seven years old.
Q: Wow. How do you deal with something like that?
Grant: You run and I’m a fast runner.
Q: Is there something about this film that you haven’t been asked yet that you’d like to talk about?
Grant: (laughs) My nudity. I had to sign a contract.
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” is now playing in limited release.
