Stephen Frears: ‘Even Hugh Grant gets anxious’

Stephen Frears claims Hugh Grant was so anxious about his performance in Florence Foster Jenkins the he would write emails to him in the middle of the night.
The British director, who helmed 1988’s Dangerous Liaisons and 2013’s Philomena, has spoken about what it is like to work with A-list actors and admits some stars require an additional confidence boost from time to time.
In 2016’s Florence Foster Jenkins, Meryl Streep plays a New York opera star notorious for her lack of singing skills, while Hugh takes on the role of her the partner and manager St. Clair Bayfield.
Though Hugh has starred in plenty of box office hits, Stephen shares that the star feared negative criticism for his part in the film and regularly sent him late night emails seeking reassurance.
“Some strange process takes place,” Stephen told an audience at the Hay Festival, according to Britain’s The Telegraph. “Hugh, I used to write emails to in the middle of the night. You deal with their anxieties… I think he was quite nervous of Meryl, and so he should be.
“He was always expecting dreadful reviews, and that he was going to be attacked for this.”
Stephen also shared that he got better at making films after becoming a father because he felt more equipped to coach the actors. But with regards to working with the likes of Meryl, Judi Dench and Helen Mirren, Stephen describes them as “very impressive women” who would not hesitate to let him know if he was to do something foolish.
The 74-year-old proceeded to wade into the Oscars diversity row, saying British actor Idris Elba should have received a nomination for his performance in 2015’s Beasts of No Nation.
He added that he felt “quite jaundiced” by the discussion about diversity 15 years after he first cast Chiwetel Ejiofor in Dirty Pretty Things. “I don’t know what anybody is making a fuss about,” he shared. “I don’t understand what the problem is.”