This post contains mention of sexual harassment.
Guy Pearce is an incredible actor with an amazing career — and he’s up for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his turn in Brady Corbet’s impressive American epic The Brutalist.
One of Guy’s more notable roles in the 1990s was his turn in the late, great Curtis Hanson’s incredible 1997 noir L.A. Confidential.
Back in 2018, Guy was interviewed by Australian TV presenter Andrew Denton and, during the chat, was asked about working with Kevin on L.A. Confidential. He described his time working with Kevin as “slightly difficult” and added, “He’s a handsy guy.”
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Shortly after the interview, Guy issued a follow-up statement about his comments. “I very much understand that it’s too sensitive a topic to be brushed off,” he said at the time. “Although I wasn’t sexually assaulted or molested, I was made to feel uncomfortable. I addressed and handled the situation when it took place, hence my regret at making it public now.”
In the interview, Guy said that “even though 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.”
Guy also recalled how his initial response to himself was “Oh, 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’s extremely charming and brilliant at what he does — really impressive, etc.,” he said. “He holds a room remarkably. But I was young and susceptible, and he targeted me, no question.”
Guy went on to claim that he told his then-wife Kate Mestitz that the only days he felt “safe” on set was when co-star Simon Baker was also shooting. “I’m dumped like a hot potato, and [Kevin] focuses on [Simon] because he was 10 times prettier than I am,” he claimed.
When actor Anthony Rapp came forward with allegations against Kevin back in 2017, Guy said that his own alleged experience was reflected to him in a new context. “I was in London working on something, and I heard [the reports] and I broke down and sobbed, and I couldn’t stop,” he recalled. “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.”
Guy also said that he’s since had “a couple” of interactions with Kevin that have “gotten ugly” — but he’s otherwise focused on being honest regarding his experience.
“I just try to be more honest about it now and call it for what it is,” he said.
You can listen to the entire interview here.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE, which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.