BEIJING
confidential
SHAKESPEARE PLAYS, MAINLAND MOVIES, HOLLYWOOD
BLOCKBUSTERS, GIEVES & HAWKES AMBASSADOR… ACTOR
KEVIN SPACEY TAKES THEM ALL ON WITH A FLOURISH.
MARK GRAHAM MEETS THE DOUBLE OSCAR WINNER
PHOTOGRAPHY TAKKY
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Spacey might have added that the sell-out audiences were also keen to see one of the finest Oscarwielding actors of modern times, who shines
in outstanding works such as LA Confidential,
American Beauty and The Usual Suspects.
Eight years ago Spacey upped sticks from the
United States to live in London with the ambitious idea of reviving the struggling Old Vic
Theatre. The success of that revitalisation has,
in a roundabout way, brought Spacey to Beijing
with the Richard III production, following sellout shows in Hong Kong.
Spacey has also become something of an
Anglophile, an honorary Brit even, which
explains his affinity with the tailoring of Gieves
and Hawkes and his willingness to model their
clothes. The company is about to open a megastore in the new Parkview Green complex in the
Chinese capital and, before Shakespeare takes
over, he shows off their latest lines.
It is also a chance for Spacey to admire the
dazzling collection of modern art that the owners
have bought to dot around the pyramid-shaped,
eco-friendly complex. The actor’s eyes light up
in near disbelief when he enters a storeroom to
be confronted by an array of works by big-ticket
contemporary Chinese artists including Yue
Minjun and Zhang Xiaogang, plus a selection of
sculptures by Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí.
There is a moment of Beijing surrealism a
little later when the complex’s owners arrange
for a visit by an artist whose work has caught
Spacey’s eye. A beaming Gao Xiaowu presents
the actor with a souvenir scale model of a pair
of his sculptures, as an excited Spacey flicks
through his BlackBerry and displays images of
the real things, seen the previous day at Beijing
art complex Factory 798.
There is an awkward silence, an only-inChina moment, as the artist looks closely, smiles
sheepishly and informs the would-be buyer
that the items are fakes, displayed for sale by a
charlatan dealer.
january 2012
MAKE-UP & HAIR: DANNY YANG; LOCATION: PARKVIEW GREEN, BEIJING
ntensity, passion and stamina:
qualities synonymous with actor Kevin
Spacey, particularly in his latest role
as Shakespeare’s tortured monarch,
Richard III. The protagonist remains
on stage for almost all of the threehour-plus marathon.
But catch him off stage and Spacey
is open, relaxed and convivial, cracking jokes, reprising the voices of his characters
– including Hopper the grasshopper in A Bug’s
Life – plugging his latest, China-funded movie,
Inseparable and generally indulging in the chatty
bonhomie so rare among major stars.
Nonetheless, even in this relaxed atmosphere
– at lunch in Beijing, where the actor does not
stint on the champagne or the food – the ghost
of William Shakespeare is hovering. Mention the
Bard in passing and the London-based American
double Oscar-winner is off and running with a
spontaneous monologue about the shining genius
of the greatest playwright of all.
Spacey, of course, could be reading the menu
and he would have an attentive audience, but
this is more than selling tickets for his play. He
clearly isn’t performing a world Shakespeare
tour for the money: in the six months or more
spent treading the boards in Greece, Spain, Italy,
Turkey, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai,
Qatar, Sydney and New York, he could have
knocked off a couple of movies and a television
series, earning many millions of dollars.
“We thought it would be tiring, and it does
require enormous energy, but it is very exciting,” says Spacey of the Richard III role. “I am
sure that the actors who played the role in
Shakespeare’s day would have collared him in the
bar and said, ‘Give us a break!’
“The play was written in the 16th century but
the themes touch our lives today. The fact that
we have a British-American company performing
a Shakespeare play around the world proves the
enduring popularity of the work.”
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Spacey guffaws at the absurdity of the situation and shows a keen interest in acquiring the real
sculptures for his London home. Then he collars
Parkview Green’s in-house Chinese art expert, peppering him with questions about the most significant painters, where the Beijing galleries are and
how the market is holding up. It is easy to see how
Spacey becomes immersed in roles, researching the
intricacies and minutiae of subjects and characters.
Off duty, Spacey, 52, is not averse to a night out
on the town with younger members of his troupe.
And during his brief stay in Beijing this major
Hollywood player is able to flit around anonymously, attending parties, enjoying Peking duck
restaurants and visiting galleries.
The world will be seeing a lot more of Spacey
in a Chinese context before long. In comedydrama Inseparable, he takes the starring role
alongside American-Chinese heart-throb Daniel
Wu and female lead Gong Beibi. The film is the
first solely China-funded production to feature a
major Hollywood face.
The shrewd Spacey appreciates that a film
with Western and Chinese actors will hold huge
appeal for audiences in China. Despite all the
fake dvds there is a healthy cinema-going crowd
that grows by the year as more multiplexes open
across the country.
When it comes to bi-cultural projects Spacey
is already ahead of the game. Richard III comes
under the umbrella of The Bridge Project, wherein
actors from the United States and Britain work
together. The indefatigable star is also a major supporter of youth theatre, funding schemes to help
up-and-coming actors.
It is little wonder his tireless work in his
adopted country has led to a cbe – and his fitting
association with Gieves and Hawkes, the venerable English tailor that picks and chooses its star
collaborations carefully.
Spacey concedes that many people looked
at him quizzically when, in 2003, he announced
plans to live and work in London, with the intention of resuscitating an ageing theatre. It seemed
like an illogical career move; at lunch in Beijing he
allows himself a whimsical smile at the memory.
“People wondered why I left when my career
was at its peak but it was the best decision I
ever made,” he says. “I always feel you have to
follow your heart.”
WATCH THIS SPACE
Double Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey is the first
big-name actor to star in a movie funded
completely by Chinese money. This budding
trend of Hollywood actors working in the
Chinese film industry is set to continue with
Christian Bale, who stars in Zhang Yimou’s
upcoming The Flowers of War. Spacey plays the
lead character in Inseparable, a drama with wry
comic elements that also stars Hong Kongbased actor Daniel Wu – almost guaranteeing
box office success. Spacey plays an American
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living in Guangzhou who prevents a young
Chinese man (Wu) committing suicide, and the
two become friends. The love interest is
supplied by Gong Beibi, who plays an
investigative reporter. There are twists aplenty
in the plot and a dose of humour. In a unique
turn, the film is half in English and half in
Mandarin. Shot by Taiwan-born director Dayyan
Eng, Inseparable debuted at the Busan
International Film festival in October and will be
distributed worldwide after its Asian release.