Rupert Everett says 1990s training caused lasting damage

Actor Rupert Everett says he is now suffering serious, long-term physical consequences from his efforts to achieve a muscular leading-man physique during the peak of his Hollywood career in the 1990s. The 67-year-old star of films like "My Best Friend's Wedding" stated in a recent interview that he neglected proper training techniques while weightlifting and is now dealing with significant musculoskeletal issues.

"I ruined myself. Now I'm almost crippled as a result," Everett said. He explained that he avoided essential practices like stretching because he found them boring, which he believes led to lasting damage. "I could never be bothered to do all those things, which were necessary for lifting weights, because your tendons get tighter and tighter," he stated. "So now my demise will be musculoskeletal, I think."

Everett described this intense muscle-building period as relatively brief, calling it his "Hollywood year." He recalled, "I was wonderful-looking at one point. I had muscles. Everything. It was quite short-lived." The pressure to transform his body, he suggested, stemmed from insecurities about his naturally slim build as a younger man.