RupertEverett Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Ack! Where has this movie been all my life? St. Trinian's is the tall tale of a bevy of badass school girls who plot to steal the famous Vermeer painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" so they can save their bankrupt school. Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, played by Colin Firth, is determined to make St. Trinian's over into a real school for young ladies. His former paramour is the headmistress Miss Fritton, played by Rupert Everett in drag. (Everett also exec produces.) And Russell Brand is, of course, a mad fellow in a bowler hat named Flash who enables the girls' shenanigans, like boozing and gambling. I'm digging the mischievous twins and the overall take no prisoners 'tude, but not so much the sexy high schoolers in stockings bit with model Lily Cole. Bond Girl Gemma Arterton stars as the lead gal Kelly, and Talulah Riley from The Boat That Rocked plays newcomer Annabelle Fritton.

St. Trinian's, which is based on the comics by Ronald Searle, has been out in the UK since 2007. There were also five previous iterations of St. Trinian's movies: The Belles of St. Trinian's, Blue Murder at St. Trinian's, The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery, The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's, and The Wildcats of St. Trinian's.

A sequel, St Trinian's: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, is already in pre-production. St. Trinian's is slated to hit North American shores August 28th.

Check out the official website for the high-res trailer, a music video from Girls Aloud, and other goodies. A trailer from YouTube.com is after the jump.

(Thanks to Anne Thompson for the lead!)

So much for my belief that St. Trinian's is the best cast movie in production right now. The film, which began shooting in March with top-notch British talents like Emily Watson, Colin Firth and Rupert Everett, has just added a young, American actress to sour up the mix. According to Variety, in a report from Cannes, Mischa Barton has joined the cast, which also includes Brits Toby Jones, Lena Headey, Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie, Anna Chancellor, Lucy Punch, Fenella Woolgar and possibly (still rumored, and not actually British) Richard E. Grant. To quote my favorite Sesame Street game: "One of these things is not like the other."

Hopefully Barton will simply be playing the bland girl from the States who happens to be studying at an English girls' school, and will not be expected to pull off an accent. Either way, she'll at least make the elder cast appear even greater. The former O.C. actress joins rising stars Jodie Whittaker (Venus), model Lily Cole, Talulah Riley (Pride & Prejudice), Tamsin Egerton (Driving Lessons), Juno Temple (Notes on a Scandal), Gemma Arterton and possibly (still rumored) singer Amy Winehouse, all of whom presumably play students at St. Trinian's, which they save from going bankrupt. St. Trinian's still seems to be, as Cinematical writer Monika Bartyzel called it, "a British film fan's wet dream," but thanks to the casting of Barton, the dream has gotten a little bit drier.

For five years, there have been rumors floating around about another St. Trinian's movie. Based on cartoons from British cartoonist Ronald Searle, there were a series of films in the 50's and 60's, followed by one terribly-received stab in 1980. St. Trinian's is a fictional girl's school full of wicked girls and questionable teachers. In 2002, there was talk about Rupert Everett and Kylie Minogue starring in the feature. However, word fizzled until now, and it is looking, frankly, delectable! Variety has listed the cast set to star in the latest remake -- Emily Watson, Colin Firth, Russell Brand and as earlier reports hoped, Rupert Everett.

I'm not sure on Watson's role. Variety has her in the "central teacher" part as previously played by Joyce Grenfell, but she actually played Sargeant Ruby Gates. Firth will play Geoffrey Thwaites (according to IMDb) and Brand will be Flash Harry, a small-time crook and bad influence on the schoolgirls. But, the best is Everett -- he will cross-dress for this role, playing both the headmistress and her brother. That's enough of a reason for me. Other cast includes Caterina Murino from Casino Royale, Jodie Whittaker from Venus, Talulah Riley (Pride & Prejudice) and Tamsin Egerton. As if that's not enough, there's also cameos scheduled for Richard E. Grant and Stephen Fry. This isn't a film, it's a British film fan's wet dream! Production will start at the end of this month, and will be the directorial debut of Barnaby Thompson, who is co-directing with Oliver Parker.

Ian says it's great, but Rupert isn't so sure. What exactly? Coming out as gay or lesbian in Hollywood. Ian McKellen claims his career took off when he announced to everyone without gaydar that he was in fact a homosexual. Rupert Everett, however, doesn't think Hollywood is quite as accepting just yet. He claims he was unable to reach the "next stage" of his career after he came out. Having heard these arguments from both actors, I wonder how much being gay really had to do with their career arcs. It seems McKellen, right or wrong, is simply getting better roles than Everett, and I'm not entirely sure how significant sexual preference is in this particular instance.

It looks as if actor Rupert Everett will be writing his memoir. Now we'll have to see if the public cares to read it or not. He's certainly a versatile actor, and I'll save judgment until the book comes out. Everett acknowledges he's not at the core of the Hollywood scene, so his pseudo-outsider point of view could make for interesting reading. The article linked below also mentions he was close to the Twin Towers on 9/11, though I can't imagine his account of that day would be any more compelling than anyone else's. The book comes out next year.