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Guy Pearce is one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation, and he’s currently an Academy Award nominee for his work in The Brutalist.
But his pre-Oscar press tour took a dark turn this week, when Pearce revealed that he was “targeted” by co-star Kevin Spacey on the set of the 1997 film LA Confidential.
In recent years, numerous former colleagues have accused Spacey of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to full-blown assault.
Now, Pearce is detailing prior claims that he made about Spacey being “a handsy guy” during filming.
Guy Pearce Says He Was ‘Targeted’ By
Pearce first alluded to Spacey’s on-set conduct during a 2018 interview with Australian talk show host Andrew Denton.
“I very much understand that it’s too sensitive a topic to be brushed off. Although I wasn’t sexually assaulted or molested, I was made to feel uncomfortable,” he explained in a follow-up statement at the time. “I addressed and handled the situation when it took place, hence my regret at making it public now.”
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pearce offered further clarification, noting that while he was initially reluctant to call himself a victim, he now feels the need to be fully transparent about his experience.
“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,” Pearce said.
“Ah, that’s nothing. Ah, no, that’s nothing. I did that for five months, and really I was sort of scared of Kevin because he’s quite an aggressive man,” he continued, adding:
“He’s extremely charming and brilliant at what he does — really impressive, etc. He holds a room remarkably. But I was young and susceptible, and he targeted me, no question.”
Pearce recalls telling his then-wife, “The only days I feel safe are the days when [Simon Baker] is on set because I’m dumped like a hot potato, and [Kevin] focuses on [Simon] because he was ten times prettier than I am.”
In a development that’s not uncommon among victims, Pearce says he didn’t recognize the severity of the abuse until years later.
“I was in London working on something, and I heard [the reports] and I broke down and sobbed, and I couldn’t stop,” he told THR. “I think it really dawned on me the impact that had occurred and how I sort of brushed it off and how I had either shelved it or blocked it out or whatever. That was a really incredible wake up call,”
Pearce says that in recent years, he’s “had a couple of confrontations with Kevin” that “got ugly.”
Speaking of his decision to come forward, the Aussie actor explains, “I don’t want him to get away with what he gets away with,” adding:
“I just try to be more honest about it now and call it for what it is.”
Spacey was acquitted of sexual assault charges in 2023. But the accuser in that case was just one of many.
And even if Spacey is able to avoid any legal consequences for his alleged behavior, the Hollywood comeback he’s been plotting seems increasingly unlikely.
