Hollywood actor adds glamour to world's biggest book fair

By talking about his new film on legendary Oscar Wilde :

GERMANY: British actor Rupert Everett brought a dash of Hollywood glamour to the Frankfurt Book Fair Thursday to talk about getting his new film on legendary dandy Oscar Wilde off the ground.

The 52-year-old star of films such as "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "An Ideal Husband" joined industry insiders from the media and entertainment worlds, gathered at the world's biggest book fair.

The film, which Everett wrote and plans to both direct and take the title role in, focuses on the life of the flamboyant 19th century Irish poet and writer in Paris when he went into exile after leaving prison.

"His life was completely different from the incredibly glamorous life of a star that he led previously in London," Everett told a panel discussion on the future of storytelling at the five-day book fair.

He said he had now found producers and hoped to make the film next year.

So far the cast includes "The King's Speech" star Colin Firth, as well as Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson and Edward Fox, he said also pointing to the difficulties of producing a period film.

"It's difficult to finance a film like this because it takes place in the 19th century so it's already extremely expensive.

"It takes place also in four different locations (Naples, Paris, London and the north of France) which you cannot really cheat," he said. But he added: "I just thought now at this stage in my life, I just want to try and do the kind of thing that I like and these are the kind of films that I like." AFP