Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins

The Autobiography

By: Rupert Everett

Narrated by: Rupert Everett

Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

An element of drama has always attended Rupert Everett, even before he swept to fame with his outstanding performance in Another Country. He has spent his life surrounded by extraordinary people, and witnessed extraordinary events. He was in Moscow during the fall of communism, in Berlin the night the wall came down, and in downtown Manhattan on September 11th. By the age of 17, he was friends with Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger, and since then he has been up close and personal with some of the most famous women in the world: Julia Roberts, Madonna, Sharon Stone, and Donatella Versace.

Whether sweeping the floor for the Royal Shakespeare Company or co-starring with Faye Dunaway and an orang-utan in Dunstan Checks In (they both took ages to get ready), Rupert Everett always brings as much energy and talent to his life as he does to his career. His memoir swoops from the eccentricities of the British upper classes to the madness of Hollywood, from the Russian steppes to an Easter egg hunt in Elizabeth Taylor's garden.

©2006 Rupert Everett (P)2006 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Hilariously honest...a kind of rake's progress. The accounts of filming with stars such as Madonna, Sharon Stone, and Julia Roberts are as good as Evelyn Waugh. The earlier scenes from childhood to unruly adolescence, to drama school and a belle époque beyond, are like Brideshead in Doc Martens, shocking and hilarious...His autobiography is funny, outrageous, and extremely well written." (Daily Mail)

racey, realistic glimpse behind the glamour

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes, Rupert Everet is so honest, and never morose or pretentious. Very entertaining and sensitive, even his jokes are in good taste.

Who was your favorite character and why?

"MOTHER", (Julie Andrews), and Rupert's childhood crush that doesn't dim with age.

What does Rupert Everett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The warmth of feeling he has for his friends and companions, and the desperateness of his failures. His words touch the surface of these disappointments, but his voice betrays him.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I was left feeling that there should be more, an encore or two, or three.

Any additional comments?

Definitely a good read for all who may share Rupert Everet's sexual identity. His description of how people feared that aids may be contagious was a shocking reminder of social ignorance and discrimination.

Raw truth

Utter bitch. Totally hilarious. Love it. It couldn’t be narrated by anyone else. He’s perfect in every way and beware of the clang clang clang of name drop after name drop.