A Conversation with Kevin Spacey

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"I'd rather be in a movie that people say should have won than be in a movie that does, and then everybody says, Why did that win?" - Kevin Spacey. It's rare that actors receive deserved recognition until they appear on the cover of a hundred magazines or stand on that Academy stage to accept their award (the prerequisite for the latter usually includes the magazine covers). Kevin Spacey's popularity may have risen one-hundred fold since his bow at The Oscars (1996, The Usual Suspects), but he has been leaving his imprint on films since 1986. Kevin Spacey was born Kevin Fowler on July 26, 1959, in South Orange, New Jersey. Self-described as a ''little terror,'' who, after burning down his sister's tree house, was sent to military academy. After winning the Leadership Award, Spacey was expelled for throwing a tire at a classmate during a boxing match. It was at his new school that his guidance counselor suggested channeling his ''excessive energy'' into acting. He ended up graduating high school co-valedictorian with classmate Mare Winningham. Spacey's later enrollment in Juilliard eventually led to several roles on stage beginning with his spear-toting messenger in Henry IV to his Broadway debut in Ibsen's Ghosts playing Liv Ullman's son. Spacey's transition from New York began with his film debut in Mike Nichols' Heartburn, leading to his role as Mel Profitt on television's Wiseguy, which garnered him the title ''most intriguing TV villain of all time'' on Rolling Stone's 1988 'Hot List'. Spacey gained world notoriety with his role as Verbal (a.k.a. K.S.) in Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects, but he has been illuminating screens for quite some time with an array of very distinctive characters. Roles in Working Girl (1988), Henry & June (1990), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Swimming with the Sharks (1995) and Seven (1995) have proven his exceptional ability to embrace each role with his own unique style and vigor. Recently, Spacey has garnered lead roles in such films as L.A. Confidential (1997) and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997). He even had the opportunity to try his hand behind the camera with his directorial debut Albino Alligator (1996). Please join Cinequest as we get the chance to hear from this modern-day maverick. -- Mike Rabehl