Kevin Spacey: Power, Controversy, Betrayal, Truth & Love in Film and Life | Lex Fridman Podcast #432

Kevin Spacey tells Lex Fridman he was acquitted in all trials, defends his career, and reveals his father was a white supremacist Nazi sympathizer.

• Spacey was cut from House of Cards in 2017 after Anthony Rapp’s allegation of 1986 abuse; Rapp sought $40M in civil suit — Spacey was acquitted in all civil and criminal trials.
• Spacey’s father became a white supremacist, kept a Nazi flag and Hitler pictures at home; Spacey feared bringing his Jewish friend Mike home as a child.
• Spacey deliberately removed his name from Se7en’s promotional billing and poster so audiences wouldn’t guess he was the serial killer appearing 40+ minutes in.
• David Fincher averages 25–65 takes per scene and uses repetition to strip actors of all pretense — Spacey says Fincher was literally trying to beat the acting out of him.
• Netflix gradually seized creative control over House of Cards after years of having none, forcing Spacey to fight battles over decisions like adding unwanted music scores to intentionally silent scenes.
• Al Pacino improvised a personal attack on Spacey mid-take during Glengarry Glen Ross, then revealed the sound wasn’t recorded — it was a deliberate gift to get a real reaction in Spacey’s close-up.
• Spacey learned all male roles as understudy in Hurley Burley; Mike Nichols then cast him in his first film, Heartburn (1986), where he couldn’t stop being too nervous to wink at Meryl Streep.

Guests: Kevin Spacey, two-time Oscar-winning actor (Se7en, The Usual Suspects, American Beauty, House of Cards) · 2024-06-05 · Watch on YouTube