Richard E Grant says filming 90s box office disaster was ‘an absolute nightmare’

Richard E Grant has shared which of his memorable films was actually an ‘absolute nightmare’ to film, recalling how much of a ‘box office bomb’ it was at the time.

Throughout his career, Richard has cemented himself as one of the greats of cinema, making his debut on the big screen back in 1987 in the British cult classic Withnail and I.

Now 37 years later, the actor’s latest project The Franchise takes a humorous and satirical look at the movie-making business, providing audiences with a glimpse of the chaos that can unfold among the cast and crew on the set of a big superhero blockbuster.

recently caught up with Richard, 67, to find out about his role – a ‘complete narcissist’ actor called Peter – and to chat about his wider career, including his scene-stealing turn in Loki and whether he could see himself joining the Harry Potter TV reboot.

The Franchise – which is coming out on Sky and also stars the likes of Lolly Adefope, Himesh Patel, Billy Magnussen and Daniel Brühl – is essentially a tale of everything that could go wrong on a film set, and how those working behind the scenes jump into action to keep the ball rolling.

Richard was drawn to the project thanks to director Sam Mendes, creator Jon Brown and executive producer Armando Iannucci, with his role requiring him to play a ‘diva’ of an actor who he felt had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

‘I had to be mean to absolutely everybody in the story. So it felt quite isolating, because it’s such an ensemble. But I know that this is a bleed-over, that when you are so awful to absolutely everybody, it feels alienating,’ he recollected.

‘There’s no mitigating qualities of this character whatsoever. He’s an absolute arse.’

While the bedlam that ensues on The Franchise might be fictional, Richard has personally experienced what happens when a film descends into disarray.

‘The most chaotic film that I ever worked on was a disaster called Hudson Hawk with Bruce Willis in 1990 where everything that could possibly go wrong, with the script, the director, the stars, it did,’ he said, looking back on the film that came out in 1992.

‘And it was a massive box office bomb,’ he added. ‘So that was, in retrospect, amusing. At the time, an absolute nightmare.’

Fortunately, Richard was able to laugh about it now, decades on!

In recent years, the thespian has been a part of some of the most talked-about films and TV shows out there – in particular Saltburn, in which he starred as Sir James Catton, the father of Jacob Elordi’s Felix Catton.

Richard loved that the film stirred up such a strong reaction among audiences with its controversial and sexual scenes.

‘I think that in the age that we live where you can see anything on social media or download at any minute of the day, to have something that is still going to surprise people, and because it deals so forensically with sexual obsession, I love the fact that it provoked people so much,’ he summarised.

Three years ago, he appeared as Classic Loki – an iteration of the God of Mischief – in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s TV series Loki, with Tom Hiddleston in the lead role.

The image that Richard conjured up as the older version of Loki when he unleashes his power in the Void, proclaiming his ‘glorious purpose’, quickly became a huge favourite among Marvel fans.

Confirming that he would return to the MCU to play Classic Loki again ‘in a heartbeat’, Richard said lightheartedly: ‘The only caveat that I had about Loki was that I never got to wear a muscle suit, which I thought I would, because the character has muscles, big shoulders.

‘They absolutely refused. And I said, “But I’ve got no muscles, born without any.”’

Eventually, he came to a compromise with the producers, as he was allowed to wear a cape the majority of the time ‘to cover up the fact that I’ve got no muscles’.

Despite the actor’s prominence in the acting world, he goes through a very relatable feeling when he has a job, admitting that he has an ‘abiding paranoia’ about being fired.

‘Every job, it doesn’t even matter what age you are, it still feels like there’s terror on the first day that you start,’ he admitted.

‘I have an abiding paranoia that I’m going to be fired, because people do get fired. So there’s always that worry about it. So I think it keeps you hungry for stuff.’

So what’s on the cards for the future? In addition to starring in Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club in a mystery role, Richard is also appearing in a film called Savage House with Claire Foy, Nuremberg with Russell Crowe and Rami Malek, and Death of a Unicorn with Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd.

Some people have speculated that he could be an ideal actor to join the cast of the upcoming Harry Potter reboot, perhaps in the role of a very powerful wizard… such as one Albus Dumbledore.

‘I’ve not been called,’ he said, although he made it very clear that he would be open to it if asked.

While fans adore watching Richard on screen, many also love his frequently video updates that he shares on social media, which were of a particular comfort to people during Covid-19 lockdowns.

‘I’m just amazed that when people talk about how negative social media can be, that’s not been my experience,’ the performer said.

‘And the advantage is that if somebody’s being really toxic, you can block them. So there’s always that.’