Richard E. Grant reveals his favourite director of all time
After a few minor television roles, Richard E. Grant made his film debut as the titular character of Bruce Robinson’s Withnail and I. The 1987 British black comedy gave the actor his big break, and soon he landed parts in movies such as Henry and June, The Age of Innocence, The Portrait of a Lady, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Oscar-winning short film, Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life.
Over the years, Grant has had a steady career in cinema in addition to occasional forays into theatre and television. In 2005, he even released his directorial debut, Wah-Wah, loosely based on his own experiences as a child living in Swaziland in the final years of Britain’s rule in Africa during the 1960s. The film starred Nicholas Hoult, Emily Watson, Gabriel Byrne and Julie Walters and recieved mixed reviews from critics. The actor hasn’t directed any more films; instead, he has continued to star in successful movies such as Corpse Bride, About Time, Jackie, Logan, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Grant has been lucky enough to work with some important names; however, there is one filmmaker that the actor has worked with three times, who he has referred to as his all-time favourite director. Robert Altman, director of M*A*S*H, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, 3 Women, and Nashville, remains Grant’s most coveted filmmaker. Telling BAFTA, he said, “My favourite director is Robert Altman, hands down, because I felt that his understanding of actors and his appreciation for what they did was enormous.”
Grant has appeared in three of Altman’s films, beginning with 1992’s The Player, a satirical black comedy starring Tim Robbins, Greta Scaachi and Whoopi Goldberg. Two years later, Altman cast Grant in his comedy-drama Prêt-à-Porter, which featured an ensemble cast including Anouk Aimée, Sophia Loren, Kim Basinger, Lauren Bacall and Julia Roberts. Finally, the actor also appeared in Gosford Park in 2001, one of the director’s final films, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Discussing Gosford Park, Grant said, “It was my third time with Robert Altman, and you always have a good time because everyone is treated very democratically. The cast list is also phenomenal. […] It’s done so well.” Furthermore, in an interview with The AV Club, he explained, “Altman also invited all the actors in the crew to watch the rushes, the dailies, every night, so everybody can see what everybody else was doing. So you felt that you were really part of the whole process, of how it was made.”
He continued, “Altman was very, very inclusive and shared everything… Altman was as interested in the far corner of the screen of what was going on there as what was going on centre stage. And I think that was what was so idiosyncratic and unique about his talent.”
In a recent interview with Adam Buxton, Grant shared, “[Francis Ford] Coppola, [Martin] Scorsese, and Altman were the three indie gods of directors when I was a teenager and then at drama school in the early to mid-’70s. To have the opportunity to work with all three of them was – I thought, ‘I can die now.'”
