‘You’re not a victim’: Kevin Spacey claps back at Guy Pearce over targeting accusations

Actor Kevin Spacey has hit back at his former co-star Guy Pearce for saying Spacey “targeted” him while on the set of the 1997 crime-thriller L.A. Confidential.

On Monday, Pearce, who is currently in the running for an Academy Award for his role in The Brutalist, told The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast that he is trying to be more upfront about his experience working with Spacey, and claimed he “probably was a victim to a degree”.

Guy Pearce has claimed Kevin Spacey “targeted” him while on the set of L.A. Confidential.Credit: AP

“I was sort of scared of Kevin because he’s quite an aggressive man,” Pearce said. “He’s extremely charming and brilliant at what he does … But I was young and susceptible, and he targeted me, no question.”

He added that the only time he felt safe while on the set of L.A. Confidential was when Spacey allegedly turned his attention to fellow actor Simon Baker.

However, Spacey vehemently rejected Pearce’s accusations, telling him to “grow up” in a video on X on Wednesday.

“Guy, you need to grow up. You are not a victim,” the former House of Cards actor said. “We worked together a long time ago. If I did something then to upset you, you could have reached out to me … Here you are now, on a mission some 28 years later after I’ve been through hell and back to do what – just in time to stop the bad guy? What took you so long?”

He also referred to a time when Pearce allegedly visited him in Georgia while he was shooting another film shortly after L.A. Confidential.

“Does that not fit into the victim narrative?” Spacey said.

Spacey has faced multiple sexual assault and harassment allegations since 2017, beginning with actor Anthony Rapp, who accused Spacey of sexually assaulting him when he was 14. This matter was taken to court in 2020; however, Spacey was found not liable on all counts. Spacey has since been cleared of misconduct and sexual assault in trials held in both the US and UK.

Guy Pearce (left) and Kevin Spacey starred alongside each other in the 1997 crime thriller L.A. Confidential.Credit: Warner Bros.

Speaking on the podcast, Pearce said he “broke down and sobbed” when he first heard of the allegations against Spacey in 2017.

“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 I suppose.”

Though Pearce said he believed he was a victim to an extent, he acknowledged his experience could not compare to other victims of sexual predators.

In 2018, Pearce referred to Spacey as “a handsy guy” during an interview with Australian talk show host Andrew Denton. However, he issued a statement shortly afterwards clarifying that he “wasn’t sexually assaulted or molested”, but just “made to feel uncomfortable”.

In the podcast Pearce claimed he has had a few “confrontations” with Spacey since they finished filming together, some of which “got ugly”, however did not offer details of these alleged encounters.

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