Neon, September, 1997

"Novice Director Kevin Spacey" From bowling alley comedian to Walken impersonator

"One party last year was a fuckin' nightmare!" says Kevin Spacey of his distaste for Hollywood meet-and-greets. "Up in the hills in some fuckin' hacienda . . . they got you on a shuttle bus and it was wall-to-wall plastic from the word go! I walked through like an amoebae, saw two people I absolutely detest, turned round, got in the van, went right back down the street."

Best known for his unnerving performances in The Usual Suspects, Swimming With Sharks and Seven, the 38-year-old actor is renowned for keeping his past and his private life strictly separate from 'Hollywood'. Born in New Jersey in 1959, Spacey was sent to Northridge Military Academy after burning down a tree house, but was expelled for beating up a classmate with a tyre. Kevin Spacey does not talk about these times. He is, however, quite happy to discuss his brief teenage career as a stand-up comedian.

"I did Jimmy Stewart and Johnny Carson," he says, "I used to go round to these talent contests they would have in California at bowling alleys. Doing stand up comedy in a bowling alley . . ." he trails off, "was . . . bad."

Although Spacey is one of the most sought-after actors around, his current release sees him taking a managerial role directing Matt Dillon and Faye Dunaway in the claustrophobic heist drama Albino Alligator. "I'd never directed before," he says, trying to convey the weirdness of overseeing his movie heroes. "I'd give Faye Dunaway a direction, walk away, look at my script supervisor and just go, 'Wow!'"

Spacey's next on-screen role will be as suave LA detective Jack Vincennes in Curtis Hanson's terrific James Ellroy thriller LA Confidential. "Ellroy calls me 'Alphadog'," he frowns. "He leaves messages like, 'Hey man, shit! Bim-bim-bang!' That guy just talks jazz. He showed up at Cannes wearing a kilt."

But recently, despite his prolific movie output, Kevin Spacey's most notorious performance has been his Christopher Walken impersonation at this year's Oscar ceremony.

"Billy Crystal saw me on Saturday Night Live," he explains. "I did never-before-seen screen tests: Chris Walken as Han Solo, Jack Lemmon as Chewbacca and Walter Matthau as Obi Wan Kenobi. When I meet my friends for breakfast in LA, it's nothing but a table full of Walkens. We all do Chris Walken ordering breakfast. You know [uncannily accurate Walken diction], 'Eggs and HAM! I could HAVE! INSTEAD! What is THAT?' That kind of thing. We'll sort of do that through lunch as well."

By Andrew Male; Neon, September, 1997