Guy Pearce has opened up about his career beginnings on Neighbours.
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Speaking to The Times, Pearce recalled his experiences on the Australian soap opera, in which he played Mike Young from 1986 to 1989.
He said: “I have many feelings about that show. 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. I had no clue what I was doing but learnt a lot.
“When young actors ask me for advice, I shrug and say, ‘Get lucky?’ Because I got lucky.”
But Pearce says he faced mockery from fellow actors about his start on the soap as he moved through the industry.
He continued: “That said, it really was frowned upon. I did a play a year after I left and this snobby actress said, ‘How could you even do that?’ I wanted to punch her! Now, obviously, I didn’t punch her. But it was such a horrible attitude.
“And then, five years later, I saw her on some shit ad on TV. I so wanted to go and find her and say, ‘OK…’”
Pearce is not the only star to have got his big break on the soap – so too did Margot Robbie, Kylie Minogue, Russell Crowe, and Liam and Chris Hemsworth.
His career since has included acclaimed movies including L.A. Confidential, The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert and Christopher Nolan’s Memento, in which he recently revealed he is not a fan of his performance. He returned to his roots in 2022 when making a surprise appearance in the Neighbours series finale.
Pearce is currently in the midst of an Oscar campaign, having been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist.
The Brutalist, starring Adrien Brody as a Hungarian immigrant architect chasing the American dream after World War II, scored a five-star review from NME. Paul Bradshaw writes: “Brody’s electrifying central performance will get all the attention over the coming award season, but Pearce deserves almost as much credit – both actors arguably doing the best work of their careers here. But then there’s Daniel Blumberg’s jagged steam-roller of a score; Dávid Jancsó’s patient editing skills; Lol Crawley’s savage, biting cinematography and Corbet’s self-assured direction – all now surely front-runners to clean up at the Oscars.”
The Brutalist is in cinemas now.