A POCKETFUL OF HAPPINESS

The ever-elegant Richard E Grant talks fashion and film before his appearance at Goodwood Revival

- MIRANDA THOMPSON

With his innate sense of style, the actor Richard E Grant has become something of a fashion icon – whether he’s sporting an elegantly cut suit, a bold colour or simply one of his favourite hand-printed shirts.

And when it comes to his illustrious career, fashion and film have always been inextricably entwined. In this exclusive interview with HELLO! before his appearance at the historic Goodwood Revival motorsport event to discuss vintage fashion and film, Richard tells us about his own sartorial moments.

Although his current style is “high-waisted, wide pants, slip-on shoes and striped shirts”, the wardrobe he’d most like to borrow from one of his own roles is that of The Scarlet Pimpernel.

“Eighteenth-century men’s clothing is unbeatable in my book,” he says.

“I love how regularly fashion changes and reinvents everything. Gary Cooper is for me the best-dressed movie star of all time. Jacob Elordi is his current equivalent.”

The actor, born in Swaziland, now Eswatini, became a household name in 1987 after starring in Withnail and I. Nearly 30 years later, he has firmly established himself with roles in Gosford Park, Spice World and Saltburn.

Richard arrived in London in 1982, aged 25, moving into a Notting Hill bedsit with just one suitcase and working as a waiter in Covent Garden while he auditioned for acting roles.

That same year, he met his future wife, Joan, while working at the Actor’s Centre, where she was teaching accent lessons. It would be five years before he found fame in Withnail and I and his acting career finally took off.