Rupert Everett Reflects on a Life of Excess and Transformation
Actor Rupert Everett, known for his roles in Another Country and My Best Friend’s Wedding, has spoken candidly about a past marked by a wild, hedonistic lifestyle. Now 67, Everett, who stars in the new season of Rivals, appears to have embraced a quieter existence, describing himself as “less selfish” and having left his “wild days of sex and drugs” behind.
Early Life and Rise to Stardom
Everett’s journey began with an early departure from his privileged upbringing. Leaving boarding school at 16, he moved to London, quickly immersing himself in a world of experimentation. He achieved early success, becoming a movie star by his early twenties. His ambition, he has stated, was to embody the dramatic, often tragic, figures he admired on screen, even expressing a youthful desire to “die young like James Dean.”
Navigating Sex Work and Drug Use
To support himself in London, Everett reportedly engaged in sex work, an experience he described as something he “sort of fell into” after being approached with a significant sum of money. His behavior led to his expulsion from drama school for insubordination. At 18, concerned parents sent him to live with a French family to learn the language and “straighten himself up.” However, his time in Paris also involved associating with a transsexual sex worker and living in her environment. During this period, Everett also experimented with heroin, a part of the “Hooray Henry” scene at the time, alongside a significant engagement with his sexuality.
Career Milestones and Public Feuds
Everett’s career trajectory saw him gain widespread recognition. His breakout role at 22, playing the lover of Colin Firth’s character in Another Country, propelled him to prominence. He went on to secure roles in films like Dance With a Stranger and as Julia Roberts’ gay best friend in My Best Friend’s Wedding. His return to London included a stage production of Noel Coward’s The Vortex, a play addressing drug abuse. In a peculiar act of defiance, he once sent a former complainant a clipping of his pubic hair.
A notable aspect of Everett’s public life was a 20-year feud with his Another Country co-star Colin Firth. Everett reportedly found Firth to be “boring,” while Firth referred to Everett as a “monster.” The two actors eventually reconciled while working together on The Importance of Being Earnest in 2002.
Memoirs and Revelations
Everett’s published memoirs, Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins (2006) and Vanished Years (2012), offered candid and often controversial insights into his life. He made pointed observations about public figures, including Alistair Campbell and Alan Sugar. The memoirs also detailed personal struggles, such as his reaction to a former boyfriend’s HIV diagnosis, admitting he “walked away because I couldn’t cope.”
Reflecting on the AIDS pandemic, Everett spoke of the pervasive fear and the social stigma faced by the gay community, recalling instances where even loved ones handled his belongings separately. He described the terror of watching friends die and the constant anxiety, stating, “my whole world, lots of people that I’d been with, were dying. And dying in a most terrifying way.”
Relationships and Personal Life
Despite identifying as gay, Everett engaged in relationships with notable women, including Susan Sarandon and Paula Yates. His six-year affair with Yates, while she was married to Bob Geldof, became a significant revelation in his memoirs. He described their relationship as one of “utter misfits,” finding a sense of freedom in their unconventional connection.
Everett’s observations on Madonna and Julia Roberts in his memoir, mentioning they “smelled vaguely of sweat” and describing Julia as “beautiful and tinged with madness,” led to a period of estrangement with Madonna. While their friendship was reportedly strained, Everett later stated they had reconciled and expressed admiration for her as a person.
Regarding his past relationships with women, Everett admitted he “was so slippery” and “always shifty,” driven by a desire for more connections rather than genuine emotional depth. He explained, “Pretending to feel the right things when you weren’t. I was always trying to get on to the next thing. No one was ever enough.”
A Shift Towards Domesticity
The actor’s life took a significant turn 16 years ago with his meeting of Brazilian accountant Henrique. The couple married in 2024, a move that contrasts with Everett’s previous dismissiveness of marriage, particularly same-sex marriage, which he once called “a waste of time” and “beyond tragic.”
Having relocated to Wiltshire in 2018, Everett now lives a life he once sought to escape. He describes himself as a “country blob,” spending his days walking his dog and writing. He feels a profound connection to his late parents, stating, “I feel I have become my mum and my dad since they died. I feel very much I am them, in one sense.” This late-life transformation signifies a departure from the chaotic hedonism of his youth, embracing a more grounded and introspective existence.
