Actor Rupert Everett makes his directorial debut in The Happy Prince, in which he also stars as Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde who, in his dying moments, looks back on his colourful and oftentimes dark life.
Once the most famous man in London, a popular literary figure in Victorian society, Wilde also faced the wrath of said society. He experienced the heady highs and desperate lows of love, had a tumultuous relationship with his wife Constance, a solid friendship with Robbie Ross and was imprisoned for his love affair with Lord Alfred Douglas.
At the end of his days, Wilde travels across Europe, penniless and shunned by his peers. Yet, he is followed by a group of outlaws and urchins, to whom he tells the old stories all the while never losing the wonderful wit that fuelled his work.
In 2009, German producer Jörg Schulze read an interview which Everett had given to the German magazine Spiegel in which the actor revealed that he was writing a script about the life of Oscar Wilde. Everett had already finished the script and was looking for ways to put the production together but was finding it difficult to finance the project from the UK alone, so Schulze offered to try to take it forward, enticed by what he thought to be “one of the best scripts he’d ever read”.
Director Rupert Everett says he could not have made this film without the support of friend and fellow actor Colin Firth
Schulze made introductions to Thorsten Ritter, a sales agent, and then finally to Philipp Kreuzer, who was responsible at this time for co-productions and was a producer at the Bavaria Film Group.
Markus Zimmer from Concorde, who had successfully distributed many of Rupert’s films over the years, came on board early and things fell further into place when FFF Bayern offered substantial funding in spring 2015.
After a few discussions with Everett, it became clear that, although it would be challenging with him playing the lead role, he would also have to direct. Even at this early stage, Everett had assembled a powerful cast, including Emily Watson, Colin Firth and Tom Wilkinson
In London, Rupert had appeared in Robert Fox’s production of The Judas Kiss, a play by David Hare portraying two critical moments in Oscar Wilde’s life. Everett got rave reviews, with The Guardian calling it “the performance of his career”.
The play transferred to the West End and then to Toronto and Broadway. Early on, Everett had second thoughts about playing the lead role himself, but the success of the play ultimately convinced him and everyone else otherwise.
Everett says he could not have made this film without the support of friend and fellow actor Colin Firth. The two first worked together in the 1984 film Another Country, which earned Everett his first Bafta Award nomination.
Their friendship grew through the many films they did together such as – including another Wildean product – 2001’s The Importance of Being Earnest in 2001 and St Trinian’s in 2007. In The Happy Prince, Firth plays Oscar’s dear friend Reggie, bringing a touch of humour and lightness to Wilde’s darkest moments.
Joining Everett and Firth are Emily Watson as Constance, Oscar’s maligned wife; and Colin Morgan as Lord Alfred Douglas, Wilde’s volatile lover. His opponent Robbie is played by newcomer Edwin Thomas.
The cast is rounded off with Tom Wilkinson as Fr Dunne, the priest who hears Wilde’s final confession, with Anna Chancellor, Béatrice Dalle, Ronald Pickup, John Standing and Joshua McGuire in supporting roles.