Rupert Everett says film The Next Big Thing with co-star Madonna was ‘car crash’

British actor Rupert Everett has said The Next Best Thing, a film he starred in alongside Madonna, was a “car crash” that “completely finished things” for him in Hollywood.

The TV and movie star, 65, known for films including My Best Friend’s Wedding and St Trinian’s, played Robert Whittaker in the noughties movie about two best friends, a straight woman and a gay man, who decide to raise a child together.

Speaking to Elizabeth Day on her podcast How To Fail, Everett said: “That was a car crash because the sad thing about The Next Best Thing was that it really was my movie.

“It came to me after My Best Friend’s Wedding.

“I was very popular in Hollywood for that year, it was made by Paramount.

“The movie was green lit because I was going to be in it. I managed to persuade Sherry Lansing, the head of Paramount and the producers that I could rewrite the movie, which I did with my writing partner of the time.

“I also hired John Schlesinger to be the director which was, I think in hindsight, well, it was a mistake because then he wanted me to stay with him and help him prepare the movie.

“And I went off and did another job. So that was an example of me not really following the ball exactly because possibly I could have stayed with him during the pre-production and structured the film as I thought it should have been but it rapidly flew out of control.

“And at a certain point I remember I was fired as the writer, fired as the producer, and the producer said to me if you want to stay as the actor you can, but don’t if you don’t want to.

“I should have probably walked away from it at that point and I didn’t it.

“It was not a failure as such really at the box office because of video sales in those days, Madonna sold a lot of videos, but the film itself didn’t work.”

He continued: “Everything went wrong, really, in the making of it, and it completely finished things for me in Hollywood.”

Everett also opened up about his years taking drugs and reflected on what it could mean for him as he gets older.

“I can’t lie and say I haven’t enjoyed lots of drugs”, he said.

“I don’t regret my drugged days.

“What I do fear for is my own brain. And, as I get older, I’d like to keep it as long as possible.

“And I can feel it going a little bit blurry at the edges already.

“And I think that could be partly to do with blitzing so much on, you know, nights taking 10 ecstasies in clubs and stuff like that, which is really not good for you. And that drug, I don’t enjoy actually, looking back on it.

“I think if it’s difficult now, because now the only drug I like taking is gummies and marijuana oil, but mostly to sleep.

“And marijuana oil is quite good for glaucoma, which is an eye condition that I have.

“And I find that is a very nice drug. You don’t have any of the problem of your lungs and smoking… but at the same time, really now, I would like to be lucid.”

Everett is also known for voicing Prince Charming in Shrek 2 and Shrek The Third and more recently starred in TV series Everybody Loves Diamonds and The Serpent Queen.

How To Fail with Elizabeth Day is available wherever you get your podcasts.