Guy Pearce Still Can't Believe He Was In 'L.A. Confidential'
Guy Pearce has had 20 years to get used to the idea that he was in L.A. Confidential, the celebrated ’50s-era detective yarn that premiered in theaters in September 2007 to great acclaim. But speaking with Yahoo Movies recently, the Australian actor expressed amazement that he ever shared the screen with such stars as Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey and Kim Basinger, who won an Oscar for her role as femme fatale Lynn Bracken. “I really loved the script, but I had no feeling I would get the role,” Pearce, currently starring in the western Brimstone,says now. “When I was asked to do it, I couldn’t believe it.” (Watch our video interview above.)
Pearce is front and center in L.A. Confidential as by-the-book LAPD detective Ed Exley, who reluctantly partners with rough and tumble Bud White (Crowe) to sleuth a coffee shop shootout. Written by Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson, who also directed the film, the screenplay considerably pares down James Ellroy’s sprawling novel, which spans nearly a decade in the lives of the characters. (Hanson passed away in 2016.) And Pearce says that Ellroy’s book was his primary source of research. “There’s eight years of character study for all of our characters in there. That enabled me to expand on the history of this character and where that uptight, WASP-y sensibility came from.”
To hear Pearce’s thoughts on some of the other memorable roles in his filmography, including Ravenous and Prometheus, watch our full Role Recall below.
Read more from Yahoo Movies
