Guy Pearce is opening up about his experience working with Kevin Spacey on the 1997 film “L.A. Confidential,” revealing that he “broke down and sobbed” years later after fully processing what had transpired.
The “Brutalist” actor previously described Spacey as a “handsy guy” in a 2018 interview. But in a recent conversation on The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast, Pearce delved deeper into his experience with Spacey and the sexual misconduct allegations against him.
“I just try to be more honest about it now and call it for what it is,” Pearce said.
He recalled initially dismissing Spacey’s behavior, explaining, “I did that thing where you brush it off and go, ‘Ah, that’s nothing. No, that’s nothing.’ And I did that for five months. Really, I was sort of scared of Kevin because he’s quite an aggressive man. He’s extremely charming and brilliant at what he does — really impressive, etcetera. He holds a room remarkably. But I was young and susceptible, and he targeted me, no question.”
However, Pearce emphasized that his experience was minor compared to what other alleged victims endured.
“Even though I probably was a victim to a degree, I was certainly not a victim by any means to the extent that other people have been to sexual predators,” he said.
During “L.A. Confidential’s” production, Pearce said he only felt “safe” when Spacey redirected his attention to their co-star Simon Baker.
It wasn’t until allegations against Spacey emerged during the #MeToo movement that Pearce fully processed his own experience. He recalled having “a couple of confrontations with Kevin post-that that got ugly.”
“I heard these stories about Kevin, sort of officially as news stories,” Pearce said. “And I was in London working on something, and I heard [the reports], and I broke down and sobbed, and I couldn’t stop. I think it really dawned on me—the impact that had occurred and how I had brushed it off, shelved it, or blocked it out. That was a really incredible wake-up call.”
Since the first accusations in 2017, Spacey has struggled to secure significant roles in film and television. However, he has been cleared of sexual misconduct and assault in two trials in the U.S. and U.K., as well as a lawsuit from actor Anthony Rapp, who accused Spacey of assaulting him as a minor.
Last year, Spacey told NewsNation that the #MeToo movement had “swung very, very far in the direction of unfairness.”
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