Richard E Grant has confirmed that 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 landed a role in The Rise of Skywalker, told Sky News that it was "very emotional for me to see it and to be in it, in the best possible way".
However Grant is also a noted Streisand fan, and was moved to tears in January after the singer 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.
"I read in the paper that you were feeling very tired and pressurised by your fame and failed romance with Mr Ryan O'Neal," a then-14-year-old Grant wrote. "I would like to offer you a two-week holiday, or longer, at our house, which is very beautiful with a pool and a magnificent view of the Ezulwini Valley.
"No one will trouble you and I assure you you will not be mobbed in the street as your films only show in our one cinema for three days, so not that many people will know who you are, so no chance of being mobbed. Please consider this respite seriously. You will always be welcome."
At the time, Grant was living with his family in Swaziland, which is now called eSwatini.
Streisand replied to the tweet and thanked Grant for the "wonderful letter" he sent when he was 14. In response, he said he was "overcome with emotion" and called the moment "my message in a bottle miracle".
Grant has since revealed that he had a two-hour, one-to-one conversation with Streisand at Donna Karan's home over the summer. "That pretty much did it for me," he said.
