Oscar nominee Guy Pearce has revealed that Kevin Spacey “targeted” him while they were filming the 1997 neo-noir movie LA Confidential.
The Australian actor, who has been given the first Oscar nomination of his career for his role in The Brutalist, starred alongside Spacey in the award-winning crime drama.
Pearce previously called Spacey a “handsy guy” on an Australian chat show in 2018, adding to gasps: “Thankfully I was 29 and not 14.”
He later clarified his comments, saying: “I very much understand it’s too sensitive a topic to be brushed off. I addressed and handled the situation when it took place, hence my regret at making it public now.”
Now, while appearing on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, Pearce has reflected on how Spacey’s actions towards him made him feel "uncomfortable" and "scared".
Pearce added: “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.”
The Memento star said that he brushed off Spacey’s actions towards him for five months. “Ah, that’s nothing. Ah, no, that’s nothing,” he said. “I did that for five months, and 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. He holds a room remarkably. But I was young and susceptible, and he targeted me, no question," Pearce claimed.
Spacey was initially accused of misconduct by Anthony Rapp who alleged that the actor made sexual advances towards him as a 14-year-old when Spacey was 26 in the 1980s.
Rapp’s allegations were later dismissed by a Manhattan court in 2022. Spacey has since faced several more allegations of sexual misconduct over the years, all of which he has either denied or insisted were consensual.
In 2023, Spacey stood trial in the UK after four men alleged that he had sexually assaulted them in separate incidents over the period between 2001 and 2013. He was again cleared of all nine offences.
Earlier this week, Spacey was hit with another sexual abuse claim. Ruari Cannon is suing Spacey as well as two organisations connected to the Old Vic Theatre in London, with court records showing the claim was filed on Wednesday (12 February). No details of the allegations involved are currently available.
The Independent has contacted Kevin Spacey’s representatives for comments.
