Guy Pearce Suggests Kevin Spacey Was ‘Handsy’ With Him on the ‘L.A. Confidential’ Set
Following numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and assault, things have been fairly quiet on the Kevin Spacey front — even though he (surprisingly) has a new movie hitting theaters this summer. But Spacey’s name was brought up in a recent TV interview with Guy Pearce, who suggested that his former L.A. Confidential co-star was “handsy” with him on the set of Curtis Hanson’s 1997 crime film.
During an appearance on the Australian talk show Interview (via The Guardian), Pearce was asked about Kevin Spacey — who has largely disappeared from view in the wake of numerous sexual assault and misconduct claims. Pearce’s feelings about his former colleague are understandably complex, and though he praised Spacey’s talents, Pearce also implied that the disgraced actor may have touched him inappropriately on the set of L.A. Confidential:
Yeah … yeah. Tough one to talk about at the moment. Amazing actor; incredible actor. Mmm. Slightly difficult time with Kevin, yeah. He’s a handsy guy.
Pearce went on to add, “Thankfully, I was 29 and not 14” — a reference to the initial allegation made public by actor Anthony Rapp, who said that Spacey assaulted him in 1989, when Rapp was just 14 years old.
Though Pearce stops short of making an outright accusation, his response on Interview suggests that Spacey’s behavior was somewhat inappropriate on the L.A. Confidential set — or at least that his behavior was in keeping with the allegations made against him. Pearce also touches on a fairly difficult idea: It can be hard to reconcile a talented person with their alleged crimes. Kevin Spacey has done bad things. Kevin Spacey was a great actor. Both of these statements are simultaneously true, though his wrongdoing obviously outweighs his artistic value.