Guy Pearce Slams His Performance in MEMENTO: "I’m Sh*t in That Movie"
When it comes to the film’s that Christopher Nolan has made, Memento is a favorite of mine. When I saw this movie, I loved the filmmaker’s inventive and unique style of storytelling.
It’s a film that remains a masterclass in nonlinear storytelling, a psychological puzzle anchored by an awesome performance from Guy Pearce. Pearce, on the other hand? He’s not a fan of his own work in the film at all.
Pearce played Leonard Shelby, a man suffering from short-term memory loss, desperate to track down his wife’s killer using a system of notes, Polaroids, and tattoos as his only guide.
His performance was widely praised, with some even arguing he deserved an Oscar nomination. But when Pearce recently rewatched Memento, he had a much different reaction.
Pearce admitted: “I watched Memento the other day and I’m still depressed. I’m s**t 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 realized I hate what I did.”
I’m surprised by his reaction! His performance is said to be one of the film’s strongest elements. So what exactly does he think went wrong?
He explained: “I was trying to do a flippant attitude, but it was all wrong. 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 realized I’m bad in a good movie. F**k.”
That’s about as blunt as self-criticism gets. But does Nolan agree with his assessment? Pearce hasn’t brought it up with the director, but he has a feeling they’d be on the same page.
The actor went on to say: “No, because I reckon he’d agree with me. It’s funny; people say I should’ve been nominated for Memento. Now I understand why I wasn’t.”
It turns out that his work on the film also may have played a role in why he never appeared in Nolan’s future projects, including Batman Begins. Not because of Nolan himself, but because a Warner Bros. executive allegedly held a personal bias against him.
He said: “But there was an executive at Warner Bros. who quite openly said to my agent, ‘I don’t get Guy Pearce. I’m never going to get Guy Pearce.
“I’m never going to employ Guy Pearce.’ So, in a way, that’s good to know. I mean, fair enough; there are some actors I don’t get. But it meant I could never work with Chris.”
Considering how well Pearce would have fit into Nolan’s later filmsThe Prestige, Inception, Interstellar, and beyond, it’s a shame that an off-screen issue kept him out of the director’s recurring ensemble.
Maybe one day they’ll collaborate again, and Pearce will get a role he can actually appreciate.