Rupert Everett Reflects on Hedonistic Youth and Late-Life Transformation
Actor Rupert Everett, known for his roles in Another Country and My Best Friend’s Wedding, has opened up about a tumultuous period in his life marked by drug experimentation, sex work, and high-profile feuds. Now 67, Everett suggests he has largely left behind the excesses of his younger years, describing himself as “less selfish” and embracing a quieter existence.
From Early Fame to Hedonistic Pursuits
Everett achieved significant recognition early in his career, becoming a recognizable face by his early twenties. The son of an army major, he left a privileged boarding school at 16, relocating to London with aspirations of becoming a “raw movie icon” who would “die young like James Dean.” His early years in the capital were characterized by experimentation, including drug use and sex work, which he described as a means to support himself. He recounted being approached outside a London tube station and accepting a large sum of money, stating, “I didn’t set out to hustle, but this guy offered me such a massive amount of money, well, it was like a year-and-a-half’s pocket money.”
Concerned about his path, his parents sent him to live with a French family to learn the language and “straighten himself up.” However, his time in Paris also involved encountering individuals from the fringes of society, including a transsexual sex worker living in a truck in the Bois de Boulogne, with whom he reportedly befriended and immersed himself in her world. During this period, Everett also experimented with heroin, noting that it was common among his social circle at the time. He stated, “I moved into some things – just anything that was the opposite to my upper-middle-class kind of classical English upbringing. I took drugs – all the Hoorays took heroin – and adored sex.”
Career Milestones and Public Feuds
Everett’s breakthrough role came at age 22 in the 1984 film Another Country, where he played the lover of Colin Firth’s character. This was followed by roles in films such as Dance With a Stranger and his memorable turn as Julia Roberts’ gay best friend in the 1997 hit My Best Friend’s Wedding. His career also included a stint in London theatre, where his performance in Noel Coward’s The Vortex, a play addressing drug abuse, drew both acclaim and controversy. In one notable incident, he reportedly sent a cutting of his pubic hair to a couple who complained about his performance.
A significant aspect of Everett’s public life was his protracted feud with Another Country co-star Colin Firth, which reportedly lasted two decades. Everett described Firth as “boring,” while Firth labeled Everett a “monster.” The two actors eventually reconciled after working together on The Importance of Being Earnest in 2002.
Revelations in Memoirs and Personal Struggles
Everett’s tell-all memoirs, Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins (2006) and Vanished Years (2012), offered candid insights into his life and relationships, often with sharp observations about public figures. He made pointed remarks about individuals like Alistair Campbell and Alan Sugar. His first memoir also detailed a deeply personal struggle when he learned his then-boyfriend had been diagnosed with HIV. Everett admitted to walking away, unable to cope with the situation, reflecting on the widespread fear and stigma surrounding the AIDS pandemic. He recalled the terror of the era, noting, “My whole world, lots of people that I’d been with, were dying. And dying in a most terrifying way. Everybody was terrorised by the disease.” He also described instances of discrimination, such as gay people’s plates being washed separately.
In his writings and interviews, Everett has also spoken about his experiences with gay cruising on Hampstead Heath in London, describing it as an immersive, almost dreamlike environment of anonymity and brief encounters in the darkness.
Relationships with Prominent Women and a Controversial Affair
Despite being openly gay, Everett maintained relationships with several high-profile women, including actresses Susan Sarandon and Béatrice Dalle. His six-year relationship with television presenter Paula Yates, while she was married to Bob Geldof, was a particularly notable revelation. Everett described their connection as a “strange love affair of utter misfits,” noting the irony of their circumstances: “She was married. I was gay. These constraints operated like a kind of safety net and there were no obstacles between us.” He later expressed that he did not regret the affair and gained insight into a different way of life through his relationship with Yates.
Everett’s memoirs also included candid descriptions of Madonna and Julia Roberts, noting their scents and personalities under stress. His comments about Madonna led to a period of estrangement, though he later stated they had reconciled and remained friends, expressing admiration for her as a person.
A Shift Towards Domesticity and Marriage
In contrast to his earlier views, which included dismissing marriage as “a waste of time,” Everett married his long-term partner, Brazilian accountant Henrique, in 2024. The couple relocated to Wiltshire in 2018 and lived with Everett’s mother until her passing. Everett now describes himself as a “country blob,” spending his time walking his dog and writing books. He reflects on a sense of connection to his 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 current lifestyle represents a significant departure from the passionate, often chaotic, existence he experienced in his youth.
