Everett played the character of Robert Whittaker, while the singer depicted Abigail Abbie Reynolds. Despite their extraordinary performance, the film failed at the box office, as the actor recalled that the film 'strained' his friendship with Madonna. Read on further to know more details!
Rupert Everett recently appeared on How to Fail With Elizabeth Day podcast, where the actor reflected on his career and experience filming The Next Best Thing movie with his co-star Madonna. During his candid conversation, Everett revealed how his friendship with Madonna was profoundly affected after they co-starred in this movie.
As per EW, he said, "Friendships and failure in Hollywood are very difficult things to keep going," adding that the film "was a strain" on his friendship with the singer. When asked if he'll ever reconnect with her, the actor replied, "Well, possibly. I don't know."
The Next Best Thing focuses on Abbie (Madonna) and her close friend Robert (Everett), with whom she unexpectedly conceives a child. They agree to raise the child together, but things become complicated when Abbie starts dating Ben (Benjamin Bratt).
The Warning actor reflected on the movie's reception, explaining, "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." He noted that despite being one of the few movies addressing a relevant issue of the time, it ultimately didn't work.
The Muse actor admitted that 'everything went wrong' during the filming, which he felt 'completely finished' things for him in Hollywood. However, he still praised Madonna for her performance, acknowledging how immense pressure she faced at the time, saying it was challenging for her to be in films because of the 'preconceptions' people have.
He added that he couldn't see how she could ever meet the expectations to make people truly appreciate her work. The actor further mentioned, "I think it was great having her in the film. 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."
Rupert Everett also expressed that the film's poor reception hit particularly hard because he felt he was the reason it was made. He shared, "The sad thing about The Next Best Thing was that it really was my movie," noting that he landed the project after the success of My Best Friend's Wedding in 1997, during which he was quite popular in Hollywood. He said, "The movie was greenlit because I was going to be in it."
