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As Spacey says earlier, it was in London that he saw his first play. "I was with my family," he explains, "We saw a number of plays. On one incredible evening at an early preview of one of those plays, part of the set fell over the actor. The play was Sherlock Holmes, and the actor was playing Dr. Watson. They quickly repaired the set, and when the play resumed, he walked down centre stage, took a cigarette out of his pocket, looked back at the set, and said to the audience, "I knew I should never have moved to Kensington." This is a story I’ve been telling since I was a kid. I told it one night in the dressing room at the Old Vic when I was doing The Iceman Cometh, and Tim Piggott-Smith – who was with me in the play – quietly said, ‘That was me.’ It was just incredible."

Spacey achieved unprecedented acclaim for his performances in that Eugene O’Neill drama, becoming the first American actor to win the coveted Olivier award. He repeated the role in new York but lost the Tony to Brian Dennehy for Death Of A Salesman. "One of the great joys of working on The Iceman Cometh was the opportunity it gave me to spend time five and half months with eighteen actors with not a single ego between them. There wasn’t a moment of tension, not a moment of crap, not a moment of b******t, and not a moment of wasted time."

As opposed to working in film? "I’ve been fortunate on many of the films I’ve done," Spacey offers. "The environment has been terrific. But there are times where people aren’t getting along. You spend a great deal of time trying to put out fires. I believe if people are taken care of, if they’re protected and told they’re appreciated, then something great will come out of it."

Someone who does that is Clint Eastwood. "He makes you feel that your contribution is extremely important," Spacey reminisces of their time together shooting Midnight In The garden Of Good And Evil in America’s Deep South. "He forces you to become responsible for your own performance by not saying a lot. He’s an almost zen-like presence on the set. It’s a very quiet set. We speak the same language, because very often he shoots rehearsals or uses first or second takes. You learn very quickly that you better be prepared – not just the actors but every single member of the crew. And if something’s wrong, you better tell him because he’s going to see it in the dailies."

Another of Spacey’s inspirations is the late Jack Lemmon, with whom he co-starred in the film adaptation of Glengarry Glen Ross as well as an early stage production of Long Day’s Journey Into Night. "Jack did a lot of good things in his life that he didn’t talk about,’ Spacey offers. "And he always used to say to me, ‘There is only one responsibility you have if you’ve done well in this business, and that is to send the elevator back down.’ That’s just what you’re supposed to do with it. And that’s just what I believe in my heart. And I couldn’t have had a better example. When I did Long Day’s Journey Into Night, I was twenty-six years old. It was my first big role. I was playing Jack’s son, and every night, he was an example of how to behave and what to do with success and all that attention. So for me, there’s nothing worth having unless I can share it."

Speaking of which, is it true that he discovered Colin Farrell? "In the sense that I was in London eight years ago rehearsing The Iceman Cometh and someone suggested we see the show at the Donmar," Spacey replies. "About fifty minutes into the play, a young lad comes bounding down the stairs playing an autistic child and within five minutes everyone in my row was asking ‘Who’s that? He’s really good.’ We all met afterwards. Colin and I ended up having a conversation. I knew he was going off to Ireland to make a film. A couple of months later I suggested Colin to the director Thaddeus O’Sullivan, and they met for Ordinary Decent Criminal, which," Spacey laughs in reference to it’s poor box office, "was released on an aeroplane. But then I started talking to some of my colleagues back in the States. ‘There’s something about this kid, I’m telling you.’ I sort of put the word out, and a year later Colin got the lead in Joel Schumacher’s film Tigerland, and he’s been quite kind in acknowledging that. But it’s just thrilling to see what’s happened to him. And the good thing is, he’s the same guy he was then. He hasn’t changed, and I don’t think he ever will."

Though Kevin Spacey will also appear in cinemas this month as evil genius Lex Luthor in the highly anticipated blockbuster Superman Returns [ which reunites him with his Usual Suspects director Bryan Singer], his dance card – despite his duties running The Old Vic – is surprisingly not that full. "If I get one good film script a year, I’m lucky," he laughs. "So it’s not really an issue."

Maybe that better for the audience…it may mean that Kevin Spacey will have to pen another strong, well crafted script like Beyond The Sea to keep himself busy…

-- Beyond The Sea is released to cinemas on July 13 in Melbourne, with other states to follow.

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FILMINK - July 2006 - Brandon Routh as Superman on the cover, three page interview/article with Kevin Spacey plus pictures from Beyond The Sea. Also includes a column about the history of Bobby Darin

www.filmink.com.au

The magazine is available at newsstands in Australia and New Zealand, and online by sending a request to dina@filmink.com.au

 

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