Despite losing Best Supporting Actor, Grant got his wish of meeting his idol after the Oscars.
Richard E. Grant may have lost the Best Supporting Actor category at the 91st Academy Awards, but he got the next best thing.
On Sunday night, the Can You Ever Forgive Me? actor finally met his idol, Barbra Streisand -- and it was everything he hoped it would be. “Being Oscar nominated was pretty amazing, but meeting with @barbrastreisand and having a proper conversation was an absolute astonishment,” he posted on Twitter with several selfies with the legend.
“Suitably blurry-eyed selfie with @BarbraStreisand who was EVERYTHING I’d hoped,expected & dreamt she’d be,” he wrote in another Tweet.
The moment was a long time coming for Grant, who has been a lifelong fan and took advantage of being in Hollywood for awards season to profess his undying adoration for her.
“As a lifelong fan of someone you’ll understand what it meant for me to take this snap outside the home of @BarbraStreisand,” he posted to Instagram in January, when he posted selfies from outside her home. “Asked Security for permission & he replied ‘It’s a public road, but thanks for asking.’ Wrote her this letter when I was 14. My wife is very understanding!”
In his childhood letter, Grant invited Streisand to stay at his family’s Swaziland home, where he grew up. “I would like to offer you a two-week holiday, or longer, at our house, which is very beautiful with a pool and a magnificent view of the Ezulwini Valley,” he wrote at the time. "Which the Swazi people call Valley of Heaven. I think you will agree when you see it. Here you can rest.”
Streisand responded to his note with equal enthusiasm.
“Dear Richard What a wonderful letter you wrote me when u were 14! And look at [you] now!” she wrote. “You're terrific in your latest movie with Melissa [McCarthy]. Congratulations and love Barbra.”
On the red carpet at the 2019 Oscars, Grant spoke to ET’s Kevin Frazier about the back-and-forth with Streisand. “I may jump her,” he jokingly responded when asked about what he would do when he finally met her. Luckily, he restrained himself and he was able to get the all-important selfie with his idol.
Who says dreams don’t come true on Hollywood’s biggest night?
RELATED CONTENT:
