Go Go Grant

Mbabane native Richard E. Grant has had a busy year following his directorial debut in 2006 for Wah-Wah – a drama set in Swaziland. Grant is the ubiquitous actor I mostly remember from Robert Altman’s Gosford Park.

He currently has four projects under way, according to Independent Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001290/. Two TV projects Freezing and Miss Marple: Nemesis, and two film projects Ecstasy and Jackboots on Whitehall.

Ecstasy, directed by Rob Heydon, is in preproduction and Grant plays Father Brian. According to IMDB, “Ecstasy, a collection of three short stories, was published in 1996 and became No. 1 in its first week of publication. The film is based on "The Undefeated", the last novella in Welsh's book, which was previously adapted into a play and performed to sold-out audiences in Canada and Scotland. After seeing the play, Welsh called it the best adaptation of his work, opening the door for Heydon to obtain the rights to produce a film adaptation. Ecstasy is a transformational love story; from the love of ecstasy to the ecstasy of Love.”

Jackboots is slated for 2008 and is an animated satirical comedy about the Scottish defeating the German invasion of England during World War II. I guess director Edward McHenry has a vision. But apparently it’s a good enough vision to also attract Ewan McGregor, Tom Wilkinson and Alan Cumming to the cast. Grant does the voice of The Vicar.

Grant has a loyal fan base and an official website: http://www.richard-e-grant.com/.