Interviewer Asks Rupert Everett If Prostitute Past Kept Him From Mainstream

Rupert Everett, the gay British actor, told an interviewer recently that he stands by his warning to gay actors that coming out could jeopardize their careers.

While straight actors are allowed to play gay, the opposite is not true, Everett tells HARDtalk's Stephen Sakur, saying many Hollywood professionals were uncomfortable putting him in heterosexual roles. Everett also bemoans American theater operators, who he says are associated with the right wing. Maybe most convincingly, Everett notes that actors have become their own brands, selling perfumes and starring in commercials. "That means shareholders, so the mainstream actor has had to become straighter and straighter," Everett says.

Sakur brings up Everett's past as a prostitute and asks whether that's what's kept him from landing mainstream roles. "No, I don't think so," he replies.

Read more here and watch part of the interview.