Rupert Everett has taken on a new perspective in telling the story of Oscar Wilde. The Happy Prince tells the story of his life living in exile after he is released from prison until his death in 1900.

It showcases the good, the bad and the ugly of this part of Wilde’s life and Everett says he wanted to portray Wilde in the way he imagines him being and less of a reverential figure that tends to be portrayed in other films.

Everett was excited about bringing this film back to where it all began for Wilde, to Dublin, saying “if it works here I can die in peace.”

The Happy Prince has been a project for Everett 10 years in the making. After the original director dropped out of the production, instead of calling it a day he decided to take on the role, making his directorial debut.

It was with the sway of Colin Firth who plays Wilde’s right-hand man Reggie Turner that Everett was able to secure funding for the film.

The film succeeds in Everett’s vision of portraying the grittiness of Wilde’s later years in this biopic.

It shows how difficult it was to be openly gay in the late 1800’s, how persecuted and looked down upon Wilde was during the very early days of gay liberation in which Wilde played a big role.

Having given so much to society, Wilde was exiled in return and only given an official pardon 117 years after his death in 2107.

Last week in an appearance on the Graham Norton show, Everett said that a pardon was not enough looking to Ireland’s recent apology as an example of what the British Government should do.

The Happy Prince is in cinemas on now.