Interview zu „American Beauty“ (Quelle: Amazon.com)

Kevin Spacey‘s dynamic range has made him one of the most popular actors working day. Since winning an Oscar for his pivotal role in “The Usual Suspects”,Spacey turned in other stellar performances, including the wisecracking detective in “L.A. Confidential”, the enigmatic killer in “Seven”, and the ace officer in “The Negotiator”. He also has continued his work on stage, most recently in the revival of “The Iceman Cometh”, for which he was nominated for a Tony. In “American Beauty”,Spacey portrays Lester Burnham, a man on the brink of big changes. Amazon.com‘s Doug Thomas interviewed Kevin Spacey.

Amazon.com: How did you get involved with the project?

Kevin Spacey:I was in London doing a play, and I got word that Sam Mendes was going to direct a film and he wanted me to read it. I‘ve known Sam‘s work in the theatre over the years, so I read the screenplay and nearly fell out of bed. I thought I better meet him quick before someone else read it.

Amazon.com: What was it about Alan‘s script that you wanted to run after it?

Kevin Spacey:Well, I just recognised it as a very important film about perceptions. I felt at that time that it was probably going to be ahead of its time. But now that I‘ve seen it, I think it is kind of perfect for its time. I found it very uplifting in a lot of ways. I think it was also really very, very funny, and it sort of approached life with a sense of humour which I have a particular fondness for.

Amazon.com:So I take it there was no hesitation working with a first-time film director? Talent is talent?

Kevin Spacey:Absolutely. I‘ve been very fortunate in my experiences with either first-time or second-time directors. I believe that it‘s a matter of sensibility. If you sit down with somebody and they start drooling at the table, well, then clearly you probably shouldn‘t do that movie. But when you are faced with someone who is as articulate and clear about the cinematic ideas that Sam had for this film, I knew that the ideas would work. What you never know, and that‘s the gamble, is whether they will be able to get those ideas on screen and whether they will be able to serve what that writer is trying to say. I was just flabbergasted by what Sam managed to do with his film, cinematically, visually.

Amazon.com: What‘s the difference between working in film and in theatre?

Kevin Spacey:I think there is much more guesswork in the film process. You get less time to edit the things that don‘t work or to discover the things that don‘t work because that‘s what rehearsal is for. We had two and a half weeks‘ rehearsal, which is a very good period of time. You make estimates about things. You‘re not entirely sure. This is why a director is so important, because you‘ll make choices that may be funny in rehearsal or may work in a room with another person, but for some reason you get behind that lens and suddenly it is not working. That actually happened in one or two scenes on this film where Sam and I just felt the scene wasn‘t working. We had to go back, take a little time, not shoot for an hour or so, and discuss it. If you‘re lucky, you have a director who is strong enough to be able to know how to get through those kinds of stumbling blocks.

Amazon.com:Speaking of first-time directors, you‘ve done it yourself on film “Albino Alligator”. Have you got any itch to do that again?

Kevin Spacey:I think directing is probably the greatest job going. And the itch is in full bloom.

Amazon.com: You recently narrated documentaries on Alfred Hitchcock “Hitchcock: Shadow of a Genius”and Steve Mc Queen “Steve Mc Queen: The King of cool”. What are your memories of watching those artists‘ films?

Kevin Spacey: I don‘t know if I can add anything to my feelings about Hitchcock that other people haven‘t said more eloquently. I just think that cinematically, he was the master. So when I was asked to be a part of that, I just immediately had to say yes. Mc Queen has always been one of my favourites, and I think terribly, terribly, terribly underrated as an actor. I just think he did some extraordinary work, and “Bullitt”is probably my favourite film of his.

Amazon.com: You‘ve worked on some films that have received critical approval but have been box-office disappointments. Does that affect you?

Kevin Spacey: I‘m not dictated by trying to do movies that I think will make a lot of money. I, quite frankly, don‘t think a lot of films that make a lot of money are successful, but that‘s my own personal benchmark. But I don‘t measure success that way, so it‘s not really even an equation that I think a great deal about.

Amazon.com: Like Lester, does Kevin Spacey have fast-food experience?

Kevin Spacey:[laughs]No, I don‘t have fast-food experience. I worked in a restaurant once as a waiter, but they fired me very quickly. I was a really bad waiter.