Richard E Grant has been the light relief throughout this year's awards season, with his performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? earning the actor award recognition for the first time in his career. Taking selfies with everyone from Timothée Chalamet to Rachel Weisz, Richard has shared his infectious excitement with his fellow attendees and the internet alike, but it was Barbra Streisand who elicited the biggest response from Richard while he attended the Academy Awards on Sunday.
Sharing a typically blurry selfie of himself and the Funny Girl actress on social media, Richard wrote: "Being Oscar-nominated was pretty amazing, but meeting Barbra Streisand and having a proper conversation was EVERYTHING I'd hoped, expected & dreamt it'd be," calling the experience "40 carat Gold".
Meeting Barbra was everything Richard "hoped, expected & dreamt" it would be
Richard made headlines in January after sharing a fan letter to Twitter that he had written to Barbra in the 1970s at the age of 14, earnestly inviting the singer to come stay with him in his house in South Africa. Barbra certainly saw the funny side to the letter, telling Richard that he was "terrific" in his latest film, leaving the actor "overcome with emotion" to receive a message from his idol after 47 years.
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Richard's performance opposite comedian Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me? has gained the actor universal critical and audience acclaim, earning nominations for Best Supporting Actor at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, SAG and Critics' Choice awards as well as the Oscars.
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At Saturday night's Independent Spirit Awards, Richard won the top award, calling it "a truly pinch-yourself moment". Speaking about late award show recognition, Richard, 61, said: "I've never been nominated for something before and I've been an actor for 40 years, so to have this suddenly happen at the age that I am is completely astonishing and amazing."