Rupert Everett remembers having sex at the Colosseum in his youth: ‘I felt like an ancient Roman’
"I remember making love in the parks, at the Capitoline Hill, and even at the Colosseum," said Everett
By Aaron Sugg
Actor Rupert Everett has opened up about life before coming out as gay in the 1980s, recounting liberating sexual experiences at the Colosseum in Rome.
Everett, 66, publicly came out as gay in 1989, after experimenting with both men and women, and is now married to Brazilian accountant and longtime partner Henrique.
In an interview with Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, Everett described how life would have been different if he had married a friend, Michela Berkeley.
“If I had married my friend Michela in Rome, things would have been different” – Rupert Everett on life before coming out as gay
“I gained more than I lost. If I had married my friend Michela in Rome, things would have been different. There’s a price to pay for everything,” said the Shrek voice actor.
Everett was both criticised and praised after coming out as gay, widely viewed as a monumental moment for LGBTQ+ men working in Hollywood, becoming one of the first to speak publicly about their sexuality.
At a time when being gay was widely restricted across the globe, he was often typecast and overlooked for leading roles, though this soon changed, leading to a Laurence Olivier Award nomination in 2016 for Best Actor for The Judas Kiss, playing Oscar Wilde.
“I remember making love in the parks, at the Capitoline Hill, and even at the Colosseum” – Everett on having sexual experiences in public
Prior to coming out, he expressed his sexuality under the radar, taking part in public exhibitionism: “The freedom I discovered in 1970s London was also experienced in Rome. I remember making love in the parks, at the Capitoline Hill, and even at the Colosseum, which I found open at night.”
“I felt like an ancient Roman,” Everett continued. “I experienced the most unbridled freedom.”
Now Everett embraces his identity more than ever, and is set to star in the hit Channel 4 comedy Big Mood, which is due to return for a second series on 16 April 2026.
“Having Rupert Everett in episode two was just mad” – Big Mood creator Camilla Whitehill on having Everett appear in the second series of the Channel 4 programme
Creator Camilla Whitehill teased what viewers can expect from the star in the upcoming season, in which he will act alongside RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Kyran Thrax in a homage to the UK drag scene.
She said in a Q&A with Channel 4: “Having Rupert Everett in episode two was just mad. It was so extraordinary watching him work. He is such a movie star, and so completely professional and on it – he brought so many good ideas and was so into it.”
Produced by Dancing Ledge Productions and written and created by Camilla Whitehill, the six-part series will see Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West reprise their roles. Everett’s character has yet to be announced.
The first series is currently available to stream on Channel 4 in the UK and exclusively on Tubi in the US and Canada.