Guy Pearce claims Kevin Spacey “targeted” him while filming ‘L.A. Confidential’: “I broke down and sobbed”

nme.com:

Kevin Spacey on the 1997 film L.A. Confidential.Speaking on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Pearce got emotional when recalling his time on set with the House Of Cards actor.Pearce said that he responded to Spacey’s alleged advances whilst filming classic neo-noir movie L.A.

Confidential by brushing them off and thinking “Ah, that’s nothing. Ah, no, that’s nothing”.He continued: “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, etc. He holds a room remarkably. But I was young and susceptible, and he targeted me, no question.”Pearce recalled telling his then-wife while shooting that “the only days I feel safe are the days when [co-star Simon Baker] is on set because I’m dumped like a hot potato, and [Kevin] focuses on [Simon] because he was 10 times prettier than I am.”Spacey faced a wave of sexual misconduct allegations during the rise of the #MeToo movement in 2017 – including claims from Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp that Spacey made advances towards him when he was just 14.

Spacey has long denied any allegations of inappropriate behaviour and criminal wrongdoing, and was acquitted of all nine charges of sexual assault in 2023, as well as being found not liable in Rapp’s case against him.It was only at this time, two decades after making the film, that Pearce said he was able to understand what had happened to him.He said: “I was in London working on something, and I heard [the reports] and I broke down and sobbed, and I couldn’t stop.