Rupert Everett says homosexuality killed his career

English actor Rupert Everett is adamant that his homosexuality killed his promising career.

The 49-year-old actor said he was quite successful throughout the 1980s, but after he announced he was gay, his career took a downturn.

The My Best Friend's Wedding actor revealed that he was turned down for the lead role in Basic Instinct 2 because he is a homosexual.

Everett believes Hollywood executives are "too scared" to cast a gay man in a heterosexual leading role.

"I wanted to be a movie star. I had a difficult set of circumstances to deal with, particularly for a movie career. Being gay, really. It just doesn't work," Contactmusic quoted him as telling The New York Times magazine.

He insisted, "As actors we don't play gay, straight... we play human beings."