Guy Pearce says Kevin Spacey 'targeted' him on 1997 film set, prompting a video response

Australian actor Guy Pearce has alleged Kevin Spacey "targeted" him while they were filming the 1997 movie LA Confidential.

Speaking on a podcast, the actor said he "broke down and sobbed" years later when he realised what had transpired on set.

Spacey, who has been accused by several men of sexual misconduct though acquitted of those cases brought to court, has since fired back in a video posted to X.

Here's what was said.

What did Guy Pearce say about Kevin Spacey?

Appearing as a guest on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, Pearce choked up while recounting Spacey's alleged pursuit of him during the making of the Academy Award-winning film.

"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 — really impressive, etc. He holds a room remarkably.

The 2025 Oscar nominee didn't disclose the details or dates of which the alleged encounters occurred.

He also recalled the moment he first heard reports of allegations made by fellow actor Anthony Rapp against Spacey in 2017, which was during the #MeToo movement.

"I was in London working on something, and I heard this and I broke down and sobbed, and I couldn't stop," Pearce said.

"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."

But Pearce hesitated to call himself a victim.

"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.

"I don't want him to get away with what he gets away with. I just try to be more honest about it now and call it for what it is."

This also isn't the first time Pearce has alluded to difficulties with Spacey on set.

In a 2018 interview, he described the Oscar-winning actor as "a hands guy" in the wake of multiple sexual misconduct allegations against Spacey.

"Slightly difficult time with Kevin, yeah. Thankfully, I was 29, and not 14."

Shortly afterward, he issued a statement clarifying that he "wasn't sexually assaulted or molested" but was "made to feel uncomfortable".

How did Spacey respond?

Spacey rejected the claims made by Pearce in a video posted to X.

He called Pearce's statements misleading and accused him of revising their past interactions.

"Guy Pearce. I've now read the comments that you made about me, and while I would have preferred not to have to play this out in the media, you obviously have your own reasons for wanting to do exactly that," Spacey said.

"If I did something that upset you, you could have reached out to me. We could have had that conversation."

He concluded his remarks with a dismissal of Pearce's comments:

"You really want to know my response? Grow up. You are not a victim."

History of allegations

Spacey has not worked in Hollywood since being accused by several men of sexual misconduct starting in 2017.

Several legal cases were brought against the actor in the aftermath.

In 2022, a federal jury in Manhattan cleared Spacey of battery in a civil case filed by Anthony Rapp, who had accused him of sexual assault when Rapp was 14.

The next year, a British jury found him not guilty of nine counts of sexual assault. During the nearly month-long trial in London, the court heard testimony from four men who alleged Spacey assaulted them between 2001 and 2013.

Several other charges and lawsuits have been dropped. Spacey has denied all the allegations.

Last week, Spacey was hit with another British lawsuit alleging sexual abuse.

He was sued in a civil suit by a claimant at London's High Court, according to court records. No details of the lawsuit were available.

The case is also being brought against London's Old Vic theatre, where Spacey worked as artistic director from about 2003.