While 2000’s The Next Best Thing was a critical flop, another more personal tragedy happened behind the scenes.
Rupert Everett recently reflected on starring in the John Schlesinger-helmed romantic comedy and how it put a “strain” on his friendship with co-star Madonna, which is why he now looks “the other way” when the film is on TV.
“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, even though for a long time, it was the only film that dealt with this issue that was actually then happening and being born,” Everett said on the How to Fail podcast.
Written by Tom Ropelewski, The Next Best Thing starred Madonna as Abbie and Everett as her gay best friend Robert, with whom she has a baby after a drunken night of intimacy. But their modern family hits a rough patch when Abbie begins dating Ben (Benjamin Bratt).
Although “everything went wrong” on set of the film, which Everett said ended up “completely finishing things for me in Hollywood,” he praised Madonna’s performance in the film, especially given the pressure she was under as a pop star.
Rupert Everett, Benjamin Bratt, Malcolm Stumpf and Madonna in The Next Best Thing (2000).
“I think it’s very difficult for her to be in films because everyone has such a preconception,” he explained.
“I don’t know how she could ever be good enough to make people say, ‘Oh God, that’s really good.’”
Everett added, “I think it was great having her in the film. Yeah. I think she was touching in the film, too, myself. I haven’t seen it for ages, though. I mean, every time that comes on, I kind of look the other way.”
While explaining the “strain” the movie put on his relationship with the 7x Grammy winner, Everett said he could “possibly” reconnect with her in the future but remains unsure. “Friendships and failure in Hollywood are very difficult things to keep going,” he said.