Rupert Everett Straps Up His Boots To Play Napoleon’s Nemesis: “He’s A Tough, Salty Old Duke”
13.01.2024 - 21:25
/ deadline.com
After strategically withholding Napoleon from the festival circuit, Ridley Scott went guerilla instead, launching his controversial military epic into cinemas like a carefully-thrown hand grenade. The tactic worked, overriding critical reviews that tore apart its history, its script and even its star, Joaquin Phoenix, to give Scott a $200 million worldwide gross. Overlooked in the fallout was a terrific performance by Rupert Everett as the Duke of Wellington, the stiff-upper-lip Brit who proves to be Napoleon’s nemesis at the Battle of Waterloo. Here, the laconic British actor reflects on the influences that fed into his portrayal of the Iron Duke.
DEADLINE: How did you get involved with the Napoleon project?
RUPERT EVERETT: It just came up out of the blue. I love Ridley Scott, so I was thrilled to take part, really. I’m a fan of the Duke of Wellington too, so it was exciting.
DEADLINE: What was your take on Wellington?
EVERETT: Well, he’s a tough, salty old Duke. ‘The Iron Duke’, they called him. Tough, wry, and just a good character, really. He’s kind of humorous. There was a certain amount of that in the script, but we did a certain amount of improvisation as well. I think he’s essentially a funny character.
DEADLINE: What kind of shoot was it?
EVERETT: It was huge. The production was gigantic and like being part of… I don’t know, a war, or a hospital, or something. It was huge. It all happens very fast because he shoots every single angle of the scene all in one, so that keeps you on your toes.
DEADLINE: You were playing Napoleon’s nemesis. Did you have any interactions with Joaquin?
EVERETT: Not really, no. Only the day we did our scene together.
DEADLINE: Was that because Ridley wanted to keep you apart? But