Everett will flex his thespian muscles again on a late-season extended guest appearance on ABC's quirky legal dramedy Boston Legal as Malcolm Holmes, whom ABC describes as a "charming civil litigator." The popular Practice spin-off has had more guest stars this season than the Tonight Show, including Dana Delany, Freddie Prinze Jr., Shelley Long, and Al Sharpton. While Everett's character will tap into his debonair persona, it will also be an unusual opportunity for him to tackle a heterosexual romantic role, with his character battling wits with his ex-girlfriend, Rhona Mitra's Tara Wilson, in a major case that will last at least three episodes. The ensemble cast also includes icons Candice Bergen, William Shatner, and James Spader.

Everett's experience as the only openly gay leading man in Hollywood has been a mixed bag, with Hugh Grant largely supplanting him as Hollywood's go-to-guy for British toff roles. While he denies regret at coming out, he told television host Tina Brown last year that in Hollywood "gay actors could only go a certain distance." He claims that his openness about his sexuality has cost him roles such as the lead in About a Boy (which went to Grant, instead). He also told Brown that he was denied a role in Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction when an MGM executive told him "I was a pervert and would never be accepted by the American public in this role."

Last year, Sir Ian McKellen claimed that lesbian and gay actors no longer had to deal with a "glass ceiling," but Everett vehemently disagrees. As he said about his career after My Best Friend's Wedding in an interview with Gay.com UK, "I was never allowed to go on to the next step. Because, I think in a trophy business, you can maybe be black but you can't, definitely not yet, be gay. Hollywood’s a trophy business and you’re better off being ‘straight’. But what was I going to do if I was gay in secret, sitting in my flat?"

"You could end up a basket case easily," he elaborates about the emotional impact. "I have a bike and I bicycle around a lot and I find myself just arguing, not just with myself, with studio heads, business managers, people about work. It can make you angry."

Everett seems especially frustrated at the hypocrisy of an industry powered by so many closeted stars and behind-the-scenes players. "You have studio executives, who may be openly gay, telling actors not to come out, saying they will lose jobs because of the audience," he said at last year's Manchester EuroPride event. "That is just bull. It is extremely sad, but no major actors are happy to say they are gay. They are doing it and cannot be happy with themselves. They are sending a dreadful message to their fans."

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