English actor Rupert Everett reportedly accused British soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan of being "whining wimps."
According to the U.K.'s Daily Mail, the 49-year-old gay actor — whose father is a retired major in the British Army — said the troops today "are always whining about the dangers of being killed. Oh my God, they are such wimps now!" he said.
He was comparing them to those in the 19th century, in particular to that of soldier and adventurer Sir Richard Burton. Everett just completed a documentary about him for Britain's Channel 4, called The Victorian Sex Explorer.
“In Burton's day they were itching to get into the fray," Everett was quoted in the Mail.
Everett, whose films include "My Best Friend's Wedding" alongside Julia Roberts and "The Next Best Thing," has a history of making controversial remarks. Last week he described Americans as "whiny victims" whose entire language is taken from "Friends" and "Sex and the City," the Mail reported.
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