Upon learning about the 'Woman in Love' hitmaker's Twitter reply to the letter he wrote when he was 14, the 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' actor shares photos of him being 'overcome with emotions'.
- Jan 31, 2019
AceShowbiz - Richard E. Grant was moved to tears when his idol Barbra Streisand replied to a fan letter he wrote 47 years ago.
The "Withnail and I" star, who is a lifelong fan of the singer and actress, recently revealed he wrote Babs a note, inviting her to live with him and his parents in Swaziland, when he was 14.
Richard posted the letter online on Tuesday, January 29, alongside a selfie he recently took outside his heroine's home in California - and now the Brit has received a response from Streisand herself.
Replying to his tweet, the star thanked Grant for the "wonderful letter" he sent.
In the note, Grant wrote: "You don't know me yet, but I am writing to offer you an idea you might like to consider. My name is Richard and I live in a small African kingdom called Swaziland in south-east Africa."
"I read in the paper that you were feeling very tired and pressurised by your fame and failed romance with Mr. Ryan O'Neal. 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."
"No-one will trouble you and I assure you you will not be mobbed in the street as your films only show in our one cinema for three days, so not that many people will know who you are, so no chance of being mobbed. Please consider this respite seriously. You will always be welcome."
As a lifelong fan of someone you’ll understand what it meant for me to take this snap outside the home of @BarbraStreisand 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! pic.twitter.com/3SohXKpgZT
— Richard E. Grant (@RichardEGrant) January 29, 2019
Grant signed off with: "in anticipation of a hasty reply" but Streisand never got back to him - until now."
Babs' response reads: "Dear Richard What a wonderful letter you wrote me when u were 14 ! and look at u now! You're terrific in your latest movie ("Can You Ever Forgive Me?") with Melissa congratulations and love Barbra."
Dear Richard What a wonderful letter you wrote me when u were 14 ! and look at u now! You're terrific in your latest movie with Melissa congratulations and love Barbra
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) January 29, 2019
Grant, who is now 61, has shared his tearful response to Streisand's tweet, captioning shots of him crying in a car: "My pal Nicole Wilcox took this photo as my daughter read me @BarbraStreisand 's tweet/response to a letter I sent her 47 yrs ago. Am completely crinkle faced & overcome with emotion."
My pal Nicole Wilcox took this photo as my daughter read me @BarbraStreisand ‘s tweet/response to a letter I sent her 47 yrs ago. Am completely crinkle faced & overcome with emotion. My ‘Message in a bottle’ miracle. 😭😍😇 pic.twitter.com/bJMko098we
— Richard E. Grant (@RichardEGrant) January 30, 2019
Streisand's response ends an amazing month for the Brit, who was nominated for his first Oscar last week (ends January 25) - he's up for a Best Supporting Actor gong for his role in "Can You Ever Forgive Me?".