KEVIN SPACEY BELONGS to that rare breed of A-list actors who somehow manages to snare Oscar-winning roles, maintain his indie credibility and work constantly in every aspect of the industry.
Through it all, he avoids the glare of the tabloids. He seems above and beyond all the nonsense associated with Hollywood.
His demeanour is unruffled, even in the midst of a media blitz that prised him away from his home in London to promote Superman Returns in Los Angeles.
The 47-year-old Spacey can play everyone from a tortured husband in the throes of a mid-life crisis (his Oscar-winning role in American Beauty) to, most recently, Superman's arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor.
For this role, he's bald and has some of the best lines in the movie. His character is menacing, wanting to wipe out most of the US in order to create a new continent. Although Spacey agrees that his character is 'darker, bitter, and out for revenge', he also wanted to infuse a little black humour into the part, specifically by showing exasperation 'with the people he surrounds himself with. I don't think of him as a villain. He's just a character, and he's a great iconic part.'
Spacey says that taking on the role was almost a no-brainer. He had worked with Superman director Bryan Singer in 1995 on The Usual Suspects, another role for which Spacey won acclaim. 'There was nothing tough about doing it,' he says. 'It was just a total joy.'
