Why Kevin Spacey's Co-Star Called Him A Fake 'A**hole' & A 'Horrible Human Being'
It's not exactly a secret that these days, Emmy-nominated and Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey's reputation is in absolute shreds. Now, Scottish actor Peter Mullan, who appeared in "Ordinary Decent Criminal" with Spacey in 2000 — and is also known for his work in the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises — is spilling secrets about the disgraced actor's on-set behavior.
"The thing with acting like any form of play is that it's fun when you are playing," Mullan told French journalist Charlotte Blum during a panel at Series Mania in Lille (per Deadline). After saying that professional athletes can revisit the highlights of their games, he continued, "And it's the same with acting. You can relive it if you want. You can sit and watch yourself all day long if you want."
"Kevin Spacey would watch himself all day long," Mullan revealed. "He never f***ing stops. The man is an a**hole." He mentioned that Spacey would waste no time watching the playback after shooting a scene, immediately going to the monitor to check out his work. "I used to wonder, 'Why are you doing that?' They'd barely shout cut, and he'd run. It took me a while to realize that he was checking if the cheat had worked because he was so fake. Everything about him was fake. So he can play fake because he is fake."
Peter Mullan really, really didn't enjoy working with Kevin Spacey
Peter Mullan went on to say that working with Kevin Spacey was less than ideal — largely because even when cameras weren't rolling, the "House of Cards" star was still pretending. "A horrible human being. But fascinating to watch because he was so mannered it was like working with Bette Davis," Mullan recalled about his time working on "Ordinary Decent Criminal" (which also featured Christoph Waltz and Coin Farrell) with the actor. "Everybody at the time, myself included, thought he was a great actor. But when you're acting with him, it was ham, absolute ham. But there's a place for ham."
Frankly, Mullen's analysis of Spacey is ... harsh. The Scottish performer went on to describe him thusly: "Some actors have gone through such a process of becoming a star they can't act human." This is a pretty rough assessment of Spacey, but to be fair to Mullen, he's just sharing his experiences — and it's not as if many other people are painting a particularly pretty picture of Spacey's personality right now. The disgraced "American Beauty" star was accused of rampant sexual impropriety and fired from projects like "House of Cards" and "All the Money in the World" as a result; though Spacey was found not guilty or liable during separate trials in New York and London, the damage to his career is done, and allegations still exist that weren't covered in his trials.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).