Guy Pearce has explained why he starred in what he calls "a bunch of shit" films.
The former Neighbours actor is currently nominated for an Oscar for The Brutalist, but he admitted that he knowingly signed on to star in some movies he wasn't keen on for a couple of years.
In a profile piece for The Times, Pearce said: "I did a bunch of shit during my divorce because I needed the money.
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"It was my divorce period, 2016, '17 and '18. I'd read scripts thinking, 'No, this is pretty good actually, I could do this' but a year earlier I would have said no. You're forced to expand your tolerance of things when you need dough, so it was a real relief once I paid off my divorce.
"But it blurred my vision. I'd read something that I felt was good and then question myself. 'Is it good? Or just in the camp of paying off my divorce?'"
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In the same piece and without prompt, he also touched on his acclaimed Christopher Nolan collaboration and stated his belief that he was rubbish in it.
"I need to add something, because I’m having an existential crisis," he said. "I watched Memento the other day and I'm still depressed. I'm shit in that movie.
"I'd never thought that before, but I did this Q&A of Memento earlier this month and decided to actually watch the film again. But while it was playing, I realised I hate what I did."
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He explained that he was aiming for "a flippant attitude" but thinks he missed the mark, adding: "John Gielgud once said, 'You can be good in a good movie, good in a bad movie, bad in a bad movie, but never be bad in a good movie'. Yet I watched Memento and realised 'I'm bad in a good movie. F**k!'"
Pearce said that people have told him he should have had an Oscar nomination for his performance, but he doesn't agree, calling it "nails on a chalkboard".
The Brutalist is showing in cinemas now.
Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
