Young Performer Magazine – July 2005

Hollywood star and acting legend Richard E Grant thrilled a group of Stagecoach students in May as he handed out valuable advice along with autographs.

The star of films like cult classic Withnail and I and Jack and Sarah, talked about discovering his passion for acting in a school play at the age of 11. As a young boy, he would make pretend theatres out of shoe boxes and puppets out of lolly sticks!

He warned that it could be a tough career, with 95% of actors, dancers and singers facing unemployment, but his love of the profession was unchanged. Richard said he always felt nervous in front of a stage audience and preferred films – for the past five years he’s been working on Wah-Wah, a film he wrote and directed himself about his upbringing in Swaziland, which comes out in the autumn.

He also said that the lucrative Argos ads he’s recently starred in had funded his dream to make the film. “Believe in yourselves, particularly when you’re starting out – it will lead others to believe in you too!” he said.