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Rupert Everett, the 67-year-old British actor, has revealed that his pursuit of a sculpted physique during his peak Hollywood years has left him “almost crippled” with musculoskeletal damage. In a recent interview, Everett disclosed that his approach to bodybuilding in the 1980s and 1990s lacked the discipline necessary to prevent long-term injury.
Quick Facts
- Rupert Everett is 67 years old and currently appearing in Disney+ series Rivals and the film Madfabulous
- He lifted weights in the 1980s and 1990s while pursuing leading roles in Hollywood, beginning with My Best Friend’s Wedding in 1997
- Everett skipped essential stretching routines while weightlifting, causing his tendons to tighten and leading to lasting musculoskeletal problems
- Early in his career, he wore custom bodysuits with false features—false bottom, calves, and shoulders—to enhance his appearance on screen
The Cost of Chasing the Hollywood Body
In an interview with The Guardian, Everett was candid about his regrets regarding his approach to fitness. “I ruined myself,” he said. “Now I’m almost crippled as a result. I could never be bothered to do all those things, like stretching, which were necessary for lifting weights, because your tendons get tighter and tighter. So boring. I didn’t do any of that. So now my demise will be musculoskeletal, I think.”
The actor’s fitness obsession coincided with his most commercially successful period. After years of stage work and a film career in the 1980s, Everett experienced a major comeback in 1997 when he played Julia Roberts’ gay best friend in My Best Friend’s Wedding. For a time, he became the sought-after accessory for Hollywood’s leading ladies, working steadily in lucrative roles. Yet the demands of the industry—and his own insecurity about his appearance—drove him to the gym.
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Before the Weights: The Bodysuit Era
Before hitting the gym, Everett had already found creative solutions to his body image struggles. He revealed that in his younger years, he relied on custom-made bodysuits to enhance his physique on camera. “I met these two queens in Tufnell Park who made bodysuits,” he explained, “and they made me a false bottom, false calves, false shoulders, false everything.” He wore these garments “in everything”—meaning across multiple film and television projects—without directors knowing.
The My Best Friend’s Wedding star’s height—6 feet 4 inches—had always been a source of frustration for him. As a teenager, he grew from 5 feet tall at age 15 to his full height by age 18, leaving him feeling like “a human stick insect.” This dramatic transformation left him deeply insecure about his body for years.
Acceptance and Reflection at 67
Today, Everett has made peace with his aging body and no longer pursues the fitness regimens that once consumed him. He’s returned to acting with renewed purpose, appearing in the second season of Rivals as Malise Gordon and in the film Madfabulous alongside It’s A Sin actor Callum Scott Howells. His partner Henrique, a Brazilian accountant, married him in 2024 after 16 years together.
In his reflections on his younger self, Everett has described that version of himself as “brash, disingenuous, and lethal.” He credits his later-life discipline—which he says didn’t fully develop until age 55—with allowing him to take his craft seriously and respect his audiences in ways he couldn’t when he was younger. The physical toll of his earlier choices, however, remains a permanent reminder of the price of chasing an impossible ideal.
Sources
- The Guardian — Full interview with Rupert Everett by Simon Hattenstone (June 1, 2026), covering his body image struggles, gym injuries, bodysuit use, and career reflection
- PinkNews — Article on Everett’s musculoskeletal damage and weightlifting regrets (June 2, 2026), confirming his “almost crippled” comment and lack of stretching routine
