Richard E. Grant reveals his most surreal awards season experience was when Tom Hanks praised his 'perfect' performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me?
He's been enjoying every second of awards season, after receiving his first ever Oscar nomination for his role in comedy drama Can You Ever Forgive Me?
And Richard E. Grant revealed the most surreal thing to happen to him in the lead up to the Academy Awards was when he was unexpectedly praised by Hollywood legend Tom Hanks.
Speaking to Variety, the actor, 61, explained it was unreal 'going to the Governors Ball and while speaking to Emily Blunt for the first time in my life, being interrupted from behind by Tom Hanks saying, "You’re perfect in your movie, you’re wonderful, you should win everything."
Starstruck: Richard E. Grant revealed on Monday his most surreal awards season experience was when Tom Hanks praised his 'perfect' performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me?
'That takes you by surprise. Standing directly next to Tom Hanks was Steven Spielberg. Then someone tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Do you want to meet Lady Gaga?" That was completely unbelievable.'
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Going on to talk about his preparation for the Oscars, Richard revealed he hasn't prepared a speech because he thinks that it's a 'foolish' thing to do.
The Star Wars: Episode IX actor said: 'Most certainly not. That would be foolish. The man that has to have the speech planned is the man who has had to come up with four different speeches for the four different awards that he’s already won.'
Gushing: The actor, 61, said it was surreal 'being interrupted from behind by Tom Hanks saying, "You’re perfect in your movie, you’re wonderful, you should win everything"
Not preparing: Going on to talk about his preparation for the Oscars, Richard revealed he hasn't got a speech prepared, because he thinks that its a 'foolish' thing to do
Emotional: Shortly after the Oscar nominations were announced, the actor shared a photo of himself celebrating with his daughter Olivia, admitting he was 'red-eyed' after the news
Richard has also garnered a huge following on Instagram and Twitter since getting nominated, with many of his posts going viral, including one where he posed red-eyed with his daughter Olivia after hearing the news on his nomination.
The Withnail and I star explained that it was his daughter who convinced him to have a more prominent online presence, and he admitted he's been 'completely astonished [by] how much they’ve been picked up.'
In January, the actor also took a selfie outside Barbara Streisand's home and shared a fan letter he sent when he was 14, which then prompted the singer to respond to him and gush about his new film.
Richard will go up against Adam Driver for BlacKkKlansman, Mahershala Ali for Green Book, Sam Elliott for A Star Is Born and Sam Rockwell for Vice at the Oscars.
Fan: In January, the actor shared an image of himself smiling happily while posing for a picture outside 76-year-old Streisand's home in Los Angeles
Support: The singer thanked him for his 'wonderful letter' and congratulated him on his Oscar-nominated role alongside Melissa McCarthy
His co-star Melissa has been nominated in the Best Actress category while the film has also been given a nod in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.
Also on the red carpet, Richard discussed the close bond he forged with Melissa as he revealed the pair got on 'extraordinary well' on the movie set.
He told MailOnline: 'It’s astonishing because we made this film in January last year for 28 days over 6 weeks and for such an intimate story, Melissa and I got along so extraordinarily well.
'It was a true story as well. It was shot in the Julius bar, the oldest gay bar in Manhattan and in the bookshops where they did all these literary scams - you were authentically walking where these people live.
Tough competition: Richard will go up against Adam Driver for BlacKkKlansman, Mahershala Ali for Green Book, Sam Elliott for A Star Is Born and Sam Rockwell for Vice
'You’re honouring them in some proper way. It was an amazing experience I loved it.'
Can You Ever Forgive Me? sees Melissa step into the stilettos of celebrity biographer Lee Israel who makes her living profiling A-listers in the dramatic thriller film.
The writer chronicles the lives of stars including Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estee Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen.
Yet in a shocking twist, Lee turns her art form into deception when she falls on hard times and her work is no longer able to get published.
WINNERS FOR THE 91ST ACADEMY AWARDS
BEST PICTURE
Roma
A Star Is Born
BlacKkKlansman
Green Book - WINNER
Vice
Black Panther
The Favourite
Bohemian Rhapsody
Happy times: Green Book won top honor Best Picture
BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale (Vice)
Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) - WINNER
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)
Willem Dafoe (At Eternity's Gate)
BEST ACTRESS
Olivia Colman (The Favourite) - WINNER
Glenn Close (The Wife)
Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)
Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)
Sweet: Olivia Colman tasted first Oscar gold with Best Actress win for The Favourite
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali (Green Book) - WINNER
Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Sam Elliott (A Star Is Born)
Sam Rockwell (Vice)
Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) - WINNER
Amy Adams (Vice)
Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)
Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Marina de Tavira (Roma)
BEST DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuaron (Roma) - WINNER
Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)
Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War)
Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)
Adam McKay (Vice)
Double trouble: Alfonso Cuarón won Best Director and Cinematography for Roma
DOCUMENTARY
Free Solo - WINNER
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Minding the Gap
Of Fathers and Sons
RBG
COSTUME DESIGN
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther - WINNER
Mary Poppins Returns
The Favourite
Mary Queen of Scots
FILM EDITING
BlacKkklansman
Bohemian Rhapsody - WINNER
The Favourite
Green BooK
Vice
We Are The Champions: Bohemian Rhapsody won four including Film Editing
ORIGINAL SCORE
Black Panther - Ludwig Goransson - WINNER
BlacKkKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Mary Poppins Returns
SOUND EDITING
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody - WINNER
First Man
A Quiet Place
Roma
SOUND MIXING
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody - WINNER
First Man
Roma
A Star Is Born
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Black Panther - WINNER
First Man
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma
Wakanda forever! Black Panther won Best Production and Costume Design
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Black Sheep
End Game
A Night At The Garden
Period. End Of Sentence. - WINNER
Lifeboat
ANIMATED SHORT
Animal Behaviour
Bao - WINNER
Late Afternoon
One Small Step
Weekends
LIVE ACTION SHORT
Detainment
Fauve
Marguerite
Mother
Skin - WINNER
Golden: Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman accepted Best Live Action Short for Skin
ANIMATED FEATURE
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - WINNER
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico) - WINNER
Shoplifters (Japan)
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
BlacKkKlansman - Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee - WINNER
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star Is Born
Purple reign: Spike Lee earned his first ever Oscar in the Best Adapted Screenplay category for BlacKkKlansman
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Favourite
First Reformed
Green Book -Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly - WINNER
Roma
Vice
MAKEUP AND HAIR
Border
Mary Queen of Scots
Vice - WINNER
VISUAL EFFECTS
Avengers: Infinity War
Christopher Robin
First Man - WINNER
Ready Player One
Solo: A Star Wars Story
ORIGINAL SONG
All The Stars (Black Panther)
I’ll Fight (RBG)
The Place Where Lost Things Go (Mary Poppins Returns)
Shallow (A Star Is Born) - Lady Gaga - WINNER
When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs)
Touching: Lady Gaga won Best Original Song for A Star Is Born hit Shallow
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Cold War
The Favourite
Never Look Away
Roma - Alfonso Cuarón - WINNER
A Star Is Born
