Actor and sublime weirdo Richard E. Grant’s love for Barbra Streisand was one of the highlights of this year’s awards season. While in Los Angeles, Grant stopped by her house to take a picture outside her driveway, which he tweeted, along with a fan letter he’d written her when he was 14. Grant’s post blew up on social media, Streisand answered his letter 47 years later, Grant got teary-eyed at her response, and the two finally met in person at the Oscars:
It was easily the most charming and uplifting story of the entire Oscar race. Grant, who, again, was in Los Angeles because he’d been nominated for an Academy Award, instantly transformed into a giddy fan whenever Streisand’s name came up. It’s been kind of a shitty weekend, what with the mass shootings and all, and we could probably use some cheering up, so I am delighted to report that Richard E. Grant met Barbra Streisand again over the weekend, after attending her concert at Madison Square Garden, and he’s as giddy as ever. On Sunday, he tweeted a video in which he marvels at the fact that his love for the singer and her work “feels as fierce and loyal as ever it was”:
So there you have it, a small good thing. If you’d rather hear Richard E. Grant discussing a large, bad thing, his amazing final monologue from How to Get Ahead in Advertising is still as relevant as ever.
Here are Richard E. Grant’s complete comments on his lifelong love for Barbara Streisand and her music:
Having been a fan of Barbra Streisand for 50 years, to finally meet her multiple times this year, and seeing her again last night backstage at Madison Square Garden with Whoopi Goldberg and the Clintons and Bill Crystal and Mariah Carey and all these people, that somehow this phase would have passed by, and I would have suddenly grown up and, you know, gotten over it. But it feels as fierce and loyal as ever it was, and it’s keeping me young!
