Richard E Grant feared he would ‘never work again’ after notorious 1991 flop and ‘living nightmare’ Hudson Hawk

Cat burglar comedy was a huge critical and commercial failure

Richard E Grant has admitted he thought he would “never work again” after he starred in Hudson Hawk, one of the most infamous flops of all time.

The 1991 movie followed a cat burglar who was forced to steal works of art by Leonardo Da Vinci. It also starred Andie MacDowell and Bruce Willis, the latter of whom co-wrote the story and the theme song.

Hudson Hawk was a huge critical and commercial failure when it launched, earning three Razzies including for Worst Picture.

“I sat with Andie MacDowell and our agents when we were encouraged to go and see a screening of it before its premiere,” Grant told The Observer, “and Andie and I both looked at each other simultaneously and said, ‘We will never work again.’”

He added: “With the best intentions, I think it’s like internet dating or any dating: you go into something hoping you’re going to fall in love and it’s going to work out… and then, of course, it’s a living nightmare!”

Grant added that he was perplexed when, on the set of the comedy, Willis asked him why English actors take on roles that are “unsympathetic or deviant” and said he would “never do that” himself.

“Maybe that’s the definition of a movie star, which is what he is, as opposed to a character actor, which is what I am,” said Grant. “It just clearly divided the line between what your career choice or trajectory is.”

In 2019, Grant said meeting Barbra Streisand was the highlight of his year, after being asked to choose between that moment, his Oscar nomination, and being in Star Wars.

The actor, who was “very emotional” about landing a role in The Rise of Skywalker, said he was moved to tears in January after Streisand replied to a letter he sent her 47 years ago.

He shared the childhood letter on social media, revealing how he had offered Streisand a "two-week holiday, or longer" at his family home.