HeathrowAirport.com – 8th April, 2015

To his long list of achievements as an actor, director, author and screenwriter, the charming and charismatic Richard E Grant has now added perfumer. In this interview, Richard talks to us about his passions and inspirations in life, work and travel, and the long journey from Withnail to Jack.

What do you think are the secrets of your success?
I think that knowing from a very early age what you’re most interested in doing, and pursuing that dream, has proved invaluable. Looking back, there is a very clear line that began with making glove puppets when I was a little boy and a toy theatre out of a shoe box with cut-out figures attached to lollipop sticks. I progressed to marionettes and built a full-scale puppet theatre in my parents’ garage. I did school plays and joined the amateur theatre club in Swaziland, where I grew up, and went to the cinema at every opportunity. However, the notion of becoming a professional actor was considered a pipe dream by my contemporaries and it was not considered a serious career option. Accepting that ‘No’ is invisibly tattooed across most people’s foreheads when auditioning for a job is something I got used to being told as a teenager, which was the perfect preparation for the realities of my profession. Resolving to make a go of it, no matter what, is what has motored me through the lean times.

What first excited you about the world of acting?
Seeing Disney’s Pinocchio as a boy was revelatory and inspired me to make puppets. Ever since I can remember I have wanted to be part of the make-believe and magic of the theatre, and pretending to be someone else is an enormously enjoyable way to earn a living! Even though I am in my late 50s I still have a child-like excitement about what I do.

Who or where do you get your inspiration from?
Seeing Donald Sutherland in Kelly’s Heroes gave me hope as he had a very elongated face, was as skinny as a rake and grew up in a far-flung town in Canada. As a teenager I reckoned that if he could make it, perhaps I had a chance. The incredibly talented people I have met, and had the privilege of working with, are a continuous inspiration. The quality of young British actors is extraordinary and humbling.

What has been your favourite acting role to date?
In 1986, having been unemployed for 11 months, I was cast as an out-of-work actor in my first film, Withnail And I, and it changed my life and gave me almost every career opportunity I’ve had since then. Bruce Robinson’s much-quoted script was an absolute gift of a role, and the lifelong friendships with the cast combined to make it an indelible experience.

Acting has taken you all over the world. What’s your favourite destination?
That’s a tough choice! New York City is hard to beat for the sheer variety of things you can eat, see, visit and just jaw-drop at. Having seen it in movies and on TV, it has a sense of familiarity – but nothing quite prepares you for the electrifying impact of walking down its skyscrapered streets. Ireland comes a close second for the sheer charm and charisma of the people. They talk even more than I do and their propensity for using 60 words rather than just a few is a big plus in my book. Within a very short time you feel as if you’ve known total strangers all your life. Irresistible.

What do you look for in an airport experience?
Free Wi-Fi and electric plug points to recharge. Variety of restaurants and shops. And the hope that some day, huge queues at Customs will be eliminated. When the Iris ID machines were introduced I thought they were the answer, but they seem to have been discarded. In our electronic age, it seems bonkers that we haven’t yet found a solution. Caveats aside, I love airports because they are always charged with the anticipation of travelling somewhere or the promise of returning home.

What are your golden tips for aspiring actors?
You need an enormous amount of determination and resilience because it’s a profession characterised by rejection. Statistically, only a very small percentage of actors are regularly employed, so only pursue it if it’s something you feel absolutely impelled to do. Be ruthlessly honest with yourself about whether you have talent or not.

What inspired you to bring out Jack perfume?
I have been led by my nose all my life and compulsively sniffed everything in sight, from food to flowers, flesh, fabric, car bonnets, furniture and everything else in between. I tried to make perfume from gardenia and rose petals, boiled in sugar water and stored in jam jars, when I was growing up, and finally, four decades later, created Jack. A unisex combination of all my favourite ingredients, including lime, mandarin, pepper, nutmeg, clove, vetiver, tobacco, musk and frankincense, Jack is my ‘signature’ in scent.

What other exciting projects do you have coming up?
I’m launching Jack Covent Garden fragrance this summer and am currently filming a ten-part series of Jekyll & Hyde, playing the head of the secret service. The original story has been reimagined by actor/writer Charlie Higson. It’s set in the 1930s and centres around Jekyll’s grandson.

Jack by Richard E Grant, a unisex fragrance and 100% British – available now in World Duty Free, Heathrow Terminal 5. Reserve and collect yours with Heathrow.com/boutique.