Film actor, Rupert Everett most assuredly has a soft side.
“One time in the film, me and Madonna are coming back from a funeral, and we started hugging and crying,” recalled Everett. “Moise was sitting at our feet and started whining too. It looked like he was unhappy about the funeral, but he was actually unhappy because he doesn’t like other people hugging me.”
No, Moise isn’t the openly gay actor’s boyfriend, but a precious black Labrador Everett acquired ten years ago in a town outside Paris. Since then he rarely travels without him. “I try to rent a little tiny plane so he doesn’t have to travel in baggage.”
His latest movie, “The Next Best Thing,” which not only stars his human best friend, Madonna, but also his true friend, Moise. The film is about a woman (Madonna) who decides to have a baby with her best friend (Everett), who happens to be gay.
What’s Moise’s role in the film? He is an unscripted extra that runs and swims. “He doesn’t save the day or rescue a kid from a burning house,” said the actor. “He’s just a dog in a movie.”
Moise also joins another animal actor, a parrot, which Everett’s screen character feeds at the film’s opening. Indeed, while the actor is close to his companion, he hates to brag about him.
Because the black Lab isn’t young, Everett makes sure Moise has his acupuncture sessions on a regular basis to relieve arthritis.
Aside from his Hollywood roles in “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “An Ideal Husband,” “Inspector Gadget,” and many other movies, the British native is a trained pianist and can also carry a conversation in French and Italian. He is among a growing core of gay actors willing to play homosexual roles.
While Everett doesn’t have any immediate plans to share the spotlight with his dog again, this doesn’t mean that the black Lab doesn’t have what it takes to be a star. “He was really professional, he’s a fantastic actor,” said Everett, “he could do the same thing again and again without anyone asking. He’s a director’s dream.”
“The Next Best Thing” will prove again Everett’s acting talents, and Moise gets to show his acting chops.
