UK Premiere Magazine – June 1996, Issue Number 41

Interviewed by Gina Morris

Star of Withnail & I, innocent bystander in Hudson Hawk and Pret-a-Porter, Richard E. Grant dishes the dirt in his diaries With Nails.

Richard E. Grant sits alone on a sofa in the lobby of London’s wantonly exclusive Claridge’s Hotel. “Hi,” he says, standing up and pointing towards the lounge. “Can’t go in there, I’m afraid. Not wearing a tie. They won’t let me in. Bastards. Shall we go to the pub?”

You must have witnessed a lot of debauchery and bad behaviour in your time. Did you have to censor yourself when you were editing your diaries for publication?

Does it read like I toned it down? We did have a lot of libel decisions to make [smiles]. The Sharon Stone neck scar story we had to cut because she told us three different versions of how she got it. So it was considered to be speculation and conjecture. It wasn’t my intention to send my publishers so much dirt on people that they’d be wading through it for months. But I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t have a draw full of stuff that was, like, the real dirt on people. [laughs] I’ve got trunk loads!

The chapter on making Hudson Hawk is fairly damning. Was it your least favourite project?

Well, it turned out to be such a bomb – such an all-time bomb – and the critics hated it so much. It was a mess. A very expensive mess. But in retrospect it’s funny; writing about it made me laugh because it was so daft what went on.

Do you think you’ll upset people?

I don’t know. The producer of Hudson Hawk [Joel Silver] was very upset after that chapter was serialized in Vanity Fair. His sister told me. Not because what I said was inaccurate or untrue, but he doesn’t like to be reminded of something that was very painful for him. He’s sort of frightening and charismatic and funny, but maybe he won’t want to work with me again after this. His sister certainly indicated that he was never going to speak to me again.

Looking back over the diaries, do you have any regrets?

You go into every film with the best intentions. That it’s going to be good, you’re going to have a good time doing it and it’s not something you’re going to be embarrassed about at the other end. Of course it can turn out like that. Out of everything I’ve ever done Withnail was the thing least likely to succeed. Now they’re calling it an English classic. It’s fucking insane, you just don’t know.

Landing Withnail as your first film as a lucky break. The desperation you describe before getting the role seems to indicate you would have taken anything.

Oh, absolutely. Anything that would have paid me. You can’t afford to be choosy when you’re out of work. You grab anything you can get. And a lucky, lucky, lucky one that was, I can tell you. There’s a certain type of person that likes Withnail. You can divide them up into two groups and if you don’t find it funny, then fuck off [laughs].

Do you keep in touch with Bruce Robinson (writer-director of Withnail and I)?

We have a sado-masochistic, torturous kind of relationship. If you really get on with someone, you don’t have to work at it. If I don’t see him I speak to him regularly. I have a huge phone bill. He’s very proud of Withnail – his finest hour.

Reading With Nails, it’s startling how many celebrities you’ve met.

It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? You see, that is part of writing it down, because otherwise you forget. In writing it down I can believe I have met them…..I ought to be a lot richer, shouldn’t I?

There’s a section where you meet Hugh Grant and Liz Hurley, and all they talk about is shagging. Do you find it amusing in hindsight?

Everybody who knows them knows that’s how they are – but yes, it is odd. What surprised me more than anything was that having a blowjob on Sunset Boulevard turned out to be an advantageous career move. He became famous throughout America as a result of being caught. It’s bizarre – prostitution as a career move.

One of the few people you sent the book to in advance was Steve Martin. Why was that?

He’s been a great mentor of mine. We’ve been proper, lasting friends since working together (on LA Story). He’s also a writer and he told me I should publish this stuff. He read the first, pre-libel version of it and because he’s a very private man I thought if anyone would be offended, it would be him. But he was so enthusiastic.

Have you made many enemies?

I think my nature is such that people either like me or they don’t. If I like somebody it’s indicated very clearly, and if I don’t that’s also very obvious. I find it very difficult to look interested if someone is literally fucking strangling your eyeball muscles with boredom. Farting on about whatever. I can’t do it.

Do some of the situations you find yourself in seem unreal?

I never think about it being normal or abnormal. I just write about what’s going on. I mean, Valentine’s at Madonna’s house: I thought it was going to be this big party and there were only three other people there. It’s so bizarre. That’s why I write these things down. I take something that seems completely chaotic and make sense of it.

You’ve seen Uma Thurman naked (making Henry & June). How do you deal with that?

You wear cement underpants with a large padlock on the front. That’s what you do when you’re in erectile situations. Quick-dry cement down the old pants. But it doesn’t always work!

So what’s next?

I’m writing a script at the moment. It’s called Mud – great title – and it’s about where I grew up, in Swaziland. Purely autobiographical, because someone said to me, “Never write about what you don’t know.” The further I am away from it, the more I realize how extraordinary it was – I feel impelled to write it down. And then I’d like to direct it. If someone gives me the money. If someone thinks it’s any good.

Thank you.

Thank you. I can’t believe you read the whole book. Well done. Let’s get out of this pub. I’m beginning to smell like a fucking smoked haddock!