Openly gay British actor Rupert Everett was once denied a major Hollywood role by a studio boss who called him a "pervert." The star was the first choice of the film's director and leading actress Sharon Stone, but the executive refused to sanction casting Everett purely because of his sexuality.

The 47-year-old considered taking legal action after the studio boss made the defamatory comment about him in public, but ultimately decided it wasn't worth his time and effort.

He says, "Sharon wanted me to do it, and I went to meet the director and he wanted me to. The director rang up the head of the studio and he said, 'Oh no, he's not playing that role - he's a pervert.' He said this in front of lots of people. My agent and lawyer got worked up and we went into battle. Sharon was on the phone to me saying, 'We can close this movie down. This is your civil rights.'

"I was moving towards a fight with the studio on this one. But in the end those kind of battles are to exhausting to fight... and I didn't."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)