Rupert Everett: Hollywood Is Like Al-Qaeda

British movie star Rupert Everett has continued his critique of Hollywood days after bashing Hollywood heavyweights such as George Clooney, Diane Keaton, Al Pacino, and others as "parodies of themselves."

In an interview with The Times, Everett tells interviewer Ben Hoyle:
"Hollywood is a place that pretends it's very liberal but it's not remotely. It's like Al-Qaeda."

Everett, who is openly gay, says he has lost "tons" of roles do to his sexuality. Playing the voice of Prince Charming in "Shrek" is "a role I would never get in a live-action film."

He later says making movies in Hollywood is "like being in Afghanistan."

"The treatment of women there is quite extraordinary. If you compare being a 70 year old woman to a 70 year old man, the old woman will maybe get to play a grandmother. The old man will do a film with a 20 year old girl (opposite him).

"On abortion, (the studios) are for it in private because they don't want actresses to clog up their schedules (by taking time off to have babies). But in films, if you get pregnant you have to keep the baby and end up with the man.

Rather than name names to bash in his latest interview, Everett cites only one specific example of Hollywood's double standards

"A 50 year old male drug addict will be supported. Everyone feels enormous compassion for them. Without naming names, female alcoholics and drug addicts are absolutely rejected. It's not accepted.

"No one suggests that Robert Downey Jr (who went to prison twice while battling drink and drug problems) was really that crazy whereas Britney Spears is almost witch hunted."

Everett is promoting his role as a headmistress in "St. Trinian's"

Comments

[CommanderWhitehead]

Rupert who?

[Hirnlego]

Hollywood is mostly interested in making money...so Hollywood equals AQ does not match.

[factotem]

Rupert can check "Act desperate and get media attention!" off his to do list this week. But he's going to find Hollywood pretty unwelcoming after this.

And no he can't act. Rent "The Comfort of Strangers" in which he's supposed to be a lusty straight guy. He's awful... he's barely a nicely lit prop.

[samguy]

Bitter queen, party of one. She's one to talk about scary looks, isn't she? Has she been sharing needles with Marc Jacobs while shooting up heroin?

[shag11]

First of all, ya can't equate Hollywood to middle eastern countries where women can't drive, show their ankles or be stoned to death for any number of infractions. Hollywood does live a lie, in that a number of people in charge are gay, but will discriminate against the like(same as in religion and politics:see Sen. Craig's record).
However, no matter who you are, Hollywood will make a way, as long as you are making money for them. Downey had appears to have straightened out his act. Britney just had a new album out and if she rights her ship and sells records and concert tix, "the business" will continue to embrace her.

[ElPerro]

Looks like Ruppy hasn't had his fill of sour grapes. Most likely, he filled up on them, purged like a 19 year old bulemic, then started consuming again. What an also-ran, no talent loser. Someone help him change his tampon please.

[geobushono]

rupert who?....
Get more comfortable with who you are....
Maybe you came out before you thought it over enough.
This doesn't mean you should be in the closet, but it means this is the 21st century and when you make AMERICAN MOVIES that are geared to adolescents, those little cheerleaders are probably not ready to dream about a life with you.
You're in amerika and we're really backward....it's your choice to come here....how's your head?

[wildflowermaven]

How many gay leading men are there??? Haven't seen many in headliner roles lately. How about lesbian women playing sex symbols--seen that much lately?? I think not. Its all about 'our' beliefs and fantasies, we may know Brad Pitt is married, but in the dark of a theater we can dream. Of Rupert Everett, Clay Aiken, or the guy from Grey's Anatomy, not so much. What we know about their real lifes intrudes and makes them less effective in these roles. Maybe someday it won't matter, but it still does. That's the reality.

[SILVANUS]

Rupert hits and misses, as do his films, but I will go further: Hollywood is not even frigging human, and its stars and their handlers all look like plastic surgery freaks from a botched Fellini film. Garish place full of twofaced soulf*ckers. And 90% of the films these days S U C K. Except 'Babel', which is 2 years old, and really a foreign film. Just go get to work Rupert.

[phantom5551]

while i think some of his points about sexism in hollywood are valid, maybe his lack of regular work has more to do with the fact that he has neither talent nor box-office appeal...

[ObamaEdwards]

The A-Q comment was clearly made to draw more attention to his other comments.

Other than that exaggeration, he's probably right.

[Sprinkle]

Its a shame that Everett feels the need to resort to petty personal attacks on his fellow actors, because some of his more general comments such as the double standards between older male and female performers are actually pretty accurate.

[CowgirlAmy]

He is absolutely right. Hollywood is a big old plate of hypocrisy. It creates nothing but drug addicts, bulemics, anorexics, egomaniacs......

And it is NOT liberal. All the studio head honchos are in it for money, only money. Capitalism reigns supreme, not artistic merit.

[werbenjagermanjensen]

I love you, Rupert Everett.

[Mister Lucas]

It takes a gay actor who is out of the closet, to expose Hollywood's hypocrisy and tell it like it is, after all, being out in Hollywood he has nothing else to loose. I applaud his efforts. And of course, every closeted gay, or every industry person who feels threatened by his statements (too close to the truth maybe?), will dismiss him as a hysterical, sissy, bitchy fag. Shame on them.