We’re in a Richard E. Grant press cycle and the world is a better place for it! His new comedy series The Franchise is already airing in the US (on HBO Max), and is about to be released in the UK, hence the recent flurry of interviews. The Franchise follows a production crew as they film the umpteenth installment of a comic book movie, an obvious spoof of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since the show is about filming itself, Richard was asked in an interview what he thought was the most underrated job on a set. The runners, he said, without hesitation. Turns out his daughter Olivia worked as a runner for a couple years when she was starting out (she’s now a casting director), and Richard remembers that she was treated “appallingly” by some very big actors during that time. The way Richard tells it, though, he would have been upset on behalf of anyone’s son or daughter, not just his own.
All of this came to light during a recent interview with Sky News, where Richard was asked what the “most underrated job on a film set” is.
“The runners,” the star immediately replied. “Who are paid the least amount of money, they’re the youngest, they get there at five in the morning and they’re the last to leave. And if anything goes wrong, they get shat on from a dizzy height.”
“And I know because my daughter was a runner for two years and appallingly treated by some very well-known household names in England,” Richard continued, visibly angry. “Who changed their tune when they found out who her father was, which made it worse. It made me damn those people even more.”
Richard was then asked if he’d ever confronted any of the people who mistreated his daughter, and he admitted that he’d only personally encountered one of them.
“I’ve met one person, yeah,” he said. “And I’d never speak to him again.”
Olivia, now 35, is Richard’s only daughter, and he shares her with his late wife, Joan Washington.
According to her IMDb page, Olivia was a runner between 2014 and 2016, and worked on three movies during that time: The Riot Club, The Theory of Everything, and Florence Foster Jenkins.
While Richard did not name names in the interview, Hugh Grant, Meryl Streep, Sam Claflin, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, and Felicity Jones are among the big-name actors to have starred in those films.
Olivia has since established herself as a casting director. Earlier this year, she won the Zeitgeist Award from the Casting Society of America for her work on the 2023 blockbuster Barbie.
Meanwhile, one specific part of Richard’s quotes struck a chord with people as his interview was discussed on a popular Reddit forum.
“The fact they suddenly acted nice to her when they realised who her father is is so gross and fake,” one person wrote.
Several others agreed, with many taking the time to praise Richard for the fact that this had angered him more.
“The fact that he saw it as even worse when they found out who her father was and suddenly treated her better shows how much integrity he has. What a boss move!” a comment that has been upvoted thousands of times reads.
“Yeah, that part speaks volumes,” somebody else agreed. “It’s not just ‘I hate that they were mean to MY kid,’ but also ‘I’m furious that they’re out there treating these kids like shit including those who don’t have the protection of a famous parent.”
“I’m happy he’s speaking for all those people not just his daughter, i think that speaks volumes,” one more echoed.
I don’t get frightened easily, and I’ve shared before that I’m the knucklehead always laughing in the audience at horror movies. But I fully believe that if you get damned by Richard E. Grant, that sh-t will stick. The way he said that really chilled me! So heaven help you if you compel that dear-hearted man to damn you! We’ve seen him as a devoted husband, and now it’s nice to see what a fierce father he is too. Though, like the commenters point out, you can really tell that it wasn’t just about this happening to his daughter. His sense of right and wrong is clear, and he doesn’t tolerate those who fail to step up. What a mensch. So, to the 1% of actors who make it really big out of the 2% of actors lucky enough to get work at all, just f–king be kind to people! Preferably to everyone you encounter, but at least start with all the hard-working crew on set. Ideally because it’s the right thing to do, but if that’s not enough incentive, then because you never know who will go on to become a casting director of a billion-dollar movie.
Photos credit: Justin Ng / Avalon and via Instagram