With Nails: The Film Diaries of Richard E. Grant

London: Picador, 1996. Reprint. Later printing. Hardcover. Good/Very good. [8], 310 pages. Illustrations. Illustrated endpaper. Slightly cocked. DJ has slight wear and soiling. Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen; 5 May 1957) is a Swazi-English actor, screenwriter, director and perfumier. He came to public attention in 1987 for playing Withnail in the film Withnail and I, and achieved recognition as John Seward in the 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula and Zander Rice in the 2017 superhero film Logan. He played Izembaro in the sixth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones and the Great Intelligence in the seventh series of Doctor Who. He will appear in Star Wars: Episode IX in a currently undisclosed part. In this insider's humorous collection of Hollywood observations, actor Richard E. Grant reveals his extraordinary experiences of shopping with Sharon Stone, browsing French sex shops with Hugh Grant, and being interrogated by the Spice Girls about his love life. Derived from a Kirkus review: Grant's acting career was largely the result of one film, Withnail and I, a 1986 cult film that garnered him critical acclaim. Until this role came along, His pleasant but slightly off-kilter looks brought few offers to play the leading man, but lots of juicy "character" roles as directors from Coppola to Altman to Scorsese cast him. Grant's recounting of making the egregiously bad Hudson Hawk, the madness of endless delays, rudderless direction, and cost overruns, are some of the most entertaining parts of this book. Each director's style may vary, but certain things remain the same: the long delays, punctuated by intense moments of activity, the close camaraderie that dissipates once filming is over, the struggle to find the truth of a character. You'd be hard pressed to find an American actor who could deliver such a refreshing combination of comedy, confession, and coruscation.