This weekend at the movies, the audience will get a glimpse into the final days of Oscar Wilde, a man who observes his own failure with ironic distance and regards the difficulties that beset his life with detachment and humor. The Happy Prince marks the directorial debut of actor Rupert Everett, who also wrote its screenplay. I recently sat down with Mr. Everett to talk about directing for the first time and playing Oscar Wilde a second.

Why did you choose The Happy Prince to be your launching pad for your directorial debut?

Well, I suppose because the story of Oscar Wilde in exile is one of my favorite tales and I found that when I was thinking of writing a script, I wanted to write something that I could put the whole of myself into and that seem to be the one.

Absolutely, considering that this is your second time playing Wilde. You first played him in the theatre, correct?

That’s correct. I played Oscar Wilde in the theatre because when I couldn’t get the movie together I thought maybe that I could show people that I could play the character by being him in the play. So that’s how that came about.

One of the toughest challenges a director or screenwriter may face is picking the right people for a supportive cast. what was it about Colin Morgan, Colin Firth and Emily Watson that stood out for you?

Well, they are wonderful actors and people that I’ve known for a while and that I’ve loved very much. That was the reason.

Since you played Wilde twice, what is one aspect of Wilde’s life that you want the audience to know more about?

I think the thing that fascinates me about him mostly is that Oscar Wilde is the beginning of the road to Gay Liberation. For anyone who’s in the LGTBQ community, Oscar Wilde is the beginning of the whole journey in one way strangely enough and that’s what I find every inspiring.

After directing your very first film, would you like to do it again and what’s the one piece of advice would you take into your future projects?

I would like to make another film one day and the piece of advice that would give myself and take is try to do it quicker than ten years.

That’s very good advice indeed. What would you think that Oscar Wilde feels of society today?

It’s a difficult question really because he is so much part of the period in which he lived. I think he’d be amazed by gay marriage and thrilled. I think he would be very good on Twitter.

What do you hope audiences will take away from the film?

I hope that they would be infused by my fascination and affection with Oscar Wilde. I think it’s an important part of our history. I think it’s a great story that I hope people enjoy it.

The Happy Prince – In theatres This Friday October 19th

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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