NEWSGuy Pearce Says He 'Wanted to Punch' a 'Snobby Actress' Who Had a 'Horrible' Attitude While Working on Soap Opera
Guy Pearce recalled how a costar's attitude nearly drove him to violence during his early acting days.
Guy Pearce didn’t act on his intrusive thoughts — but he sure thought about it!
In a recent interview, the Memento star, 57, looked back on his early acting days, specifically his time on Neighbours, the Australian soap opera that launched his career in the 1980s.
Guy Pearce thought about punching a costar for a snide comment she made in the past.
Back then, Pearce admitted that working on a soap opera “really was frowned upon” since the genre has long been associated with over-the-top storylines and simple plots.
But what really tested his patience was a costar’s condescending attitude.
“I did a play a year after I left [Neighbours] and this snobby actress said, ‘How could you even do that?’ I wanted to punch her!” The Brutalist star recalled in an interview with The Times on Friday, January 31. “Now, obviously, I didn’t punch her. But it was such a horrible attitude."
“Then, five years later, I saw her on some s--- ad on TV. I so wanted to go and find her and say, 'Okay ... '" he added.
Guy Pearce recently starred in 'The Brutalist.'
Pearce played Mike Young on Neighbours from 1986 to 1989, marking his first major screen role. He later reprised the character for the show’s 2022 finale and in its return in 2023 and 2024.
Looking back, he admitted the experience stirred up “many feelings” for him at the time.
“In the old days you were either a theatre actor or a film actor, and if you got stuck in a soap you were the lowest of the low — but what an opportunity," Pearce shared. "I had no clue what I was doing but learned a lot. When young actors ask me for advice, I shrug and say, ‘Get lucky?’ Because I got lucky."
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Guy Pearce is an Australian actor.
Now, Pearce is eyeing his first Academy Award nomination, competing for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Brutalist.
Even with a long-running career, the L.A. Confidential star made it clear he’s always been in control of his own path.
"I wanted to handle Hollywood, the way I wanted to handle it,” he told Hello!.
"A lot of people would say I messed up my career because I didn't go and do big superhero movies like I should have, but I didn't want to go. If I got offered a good job in America, great, I'd do it. And if I wasn't getting work in America, I'd just work at home in Australia," he added.
The star started his career portraying Mike Young in the Australian television series 'Neighbours.'
Pearce has come a long way since his soap opera days — now, he’s famously selective about his projects.
"I had people around me saying I should do a superhero film, but I was only interested in films that felt heavy and psychological,” he told The Independent. "I’d done five films back-to-back and was pretty spent, turning up to work every morning and growling at people.”
“I was battling with myself all the time over whether it’s just ridiculous and childish, faking stuff for a living," he concluded.
