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"\illure arlrc\nothinsfor lppc.rrlrtcr:s. creclrrill so flr asther are urcful toln\' Lrcing."-( H\ltl F\l)Alt\\l\ Kelin Spacevis a modem-dav poster b<>vlirr Darwinian theon: Ferhapsit's his face that allorvshim to adapr seamlessly ' {rom loathsome creeps ("The Usual Suspec6, "Srrimming \\'ith Sharks," "Seven") to pitiable survivors of marital hell and child abuse ("American Beautri" "Ihv It F<rmard").At first glance, he looks as anonvmous as the mailman-the receding hairline, the crcviced face, the watery brown cyes. But what lies beneath the "regular guv" persona is inlinitelr more complex. Kerin Spaceyknows a thing or th,o about surviving in Holhrvood-and it takesmolâ&#x201A;Ź than a pret$ lace. He ras lbrced to confront his limitations as he watched the dailies early in his career: "l didn't partielarly carc fior the 'You'd wav I looked, so I told nryrlf, better get over that quick or you re never going to go anlvhere.' Instead I ask, 'Is the character coming through? Is this a believablehuman being?' " In the middle ofthe suurme4 he's carwing an extra 20 pounds for his role in "1'he Shipping Ncws," due out at Christ.l-he rras. dircctor "\^anted me to look like a loaf--a loaf of a,,/uthe didn't say," he savswith a laugh. "And now I have to take olf the rreight, but iis inter.estingto have to change myself physically lbr'American Beauty,'I had to purnp up in a r{ay that I never had befirre in a molie. but it had to look rcasonable. I didn't want to halc designer abs," Dressingthe pan-"taking the ego ahrut lxx r'ou l<xrkand chucking it out the windon"-is Spacey'scalling card. He ':A.merican unabashedlyrattlesoffa list of f ilms in rlhich he'srr'ornhairpieces: Beauq," "Midnight in the Garden of (knd and Evil" and "L.A. Confidential" 1inrr'hichhe nicknamed his piece "Montv" after Montgomery Clifi;. He recounts a recent tabloid article that accrrsedhim ol uearing a hairpiece oll-screen that was "tired and needing to be replaced." "I couldn't agrce more," Space,vsayswith an irrelerent grin. "But the truth is that I've nerer worn a piece in ny personal life. I sort ofcome from the Sean (lonnen school of thought. If [rrearing a hairpiece] is right for the par1, that's grrat. But in life I don't give nvo hoots if m! hair is going." He has no patience for filmgoers and critics rvho conrplain about the stvleofa screencharacter,He cites the attacks he receivcd f<rrthe platinum outgrow (another-wiB) he sported as the slick Holllvood producer Mickey in "Hurl,vburly." "I reallv liked the krok of that completelv insinceregul whowould actuallydve his hair that color Itwas right lbr Michey, -l but it alwars cracksme up when thev start attacking vour choices. hey attackedHelen Hunt fbr some ofthe choicesthat rcercmade in'hv It Forn'ard.'Shelooked like [ice skater]TonyaHarding; it n'asthe l<xrkshewent firq and it u'asnt meant to be the most flattering. Ituas meant to be hhat that kind ofwoman would do, and I thought it was incrediblY courageous and brave. lfyou're an actor, vou u,arr,to disappear in a role." Spacq-'snext lilm, "K-PAX" (to be rcleasedin (ktober), in which he playsa characterin a nrental institution,u,ill certainlv -fhe catapult the lhshion police into full throttle. original costuming called fbr a pristine kxrk, r'ith an angelic blond wig and blue contact lenses.But nvo davs befbre shooting. co-star.feffBridges commented how he'd liked thar Spacevhad \ N ( ; t - l . t - S I l l t l : S t l A ( ; A l I 1 \ t : . S c D l c r t | b . t1 ) .2 0 0 1
been pulling at his hair in rehearsaland wondered if dnt eflect might be lost once he donned a wig. Spaceyimmediately called the costume designer to overhaul his character "I've been rrrong about how I should lnok in this m<lvie," he told her. "No contacts, no wigs. Instead of looking like I arrived on a beam of light, I shotrld look like I crawled out from under a train." ll.,t Ht: l-Awsol'vARIAt'toN HAVEoRAt-rutt) Spacey'scanon as an acto4 the same is arguablv apropos off-screen with his personal style choices.Over the past decade w€'ve seen the actor confidently morph from trendy hipster (porkpie hat5,tinted lenses)to a more understated elegance, heaw on Armani and Prada, rr'ith some Abercrombie & Frtch thrudn in for good measure,recalling the quiet assuranceof Oary Grant. (Think "1b Catch a Thiel.") ''Cary Grantlreat style, gr€at suits..fimmy Stewan. .. I sometimeswish I were lankl'just becauseofthe way things fall and drape on ' men. particularly in rhose days. fhcn again. "\obody, I mean nobody, had more style than FredAstaire, o,en when he started doing things like using a tie for a belt, things that he could get awaywith that no one else possibly could." Spacey'sfirst lessonsin style came from his father. "He fancied himself an aristcrcrat,and so dresswasvery imporrant, and penmanship wasvery important, and your dothes uere clean and your nails . . . " Spaceytrails off, glancing at his own nails and laughing. "I'm.just thinking back at all the things he used to tell us. ln terms of mv <rm style, I like rr be comfonable." As with his acting laurels,he's quick to share credit if clothing complim€nts come his way. A former assistantof his and his girllriend "have a great senseof sn le and really helped me while I wastrling to straightenvlme of this stuffout, saving,'No, no, that's not a gq)d tie,' or'.Ibke that ofl, are vou crazv?'Like anything in your life, you evolve as you go along. lbu -fhe stan to leam about yourself. same way you learn about vourself in film. vou learn about yourselfin fashion-how you dress and what you feel comlbrtablein and what'sappnrpriate to wear at a panicrrlar elent. Sometimes I like to take chancesuith that." A few examples leap to mind, such as Continued. on fuse 29
Giorgio Armani Classico corduroy ilcket, 32,025, at Gio.glo Armlni, Beve.ly Hills, Boss Hugo B( ton shirt, about t05, .t Hugo 8093, Bcverly Hills.nd South Co.st Plaz6.Giorgio Arrnlnl Cl.sgico c, p!nts, $995, !t Giorgio Armani, Beverly Hills, P..da bett Opposite: Gio,gio Armlni Classico leath ot, 13,775,at Glorgio Arrr|!ni, Baverly Hills. B!rney3 New Yo.k Priv.t€ L!bgl 3nsp-collsr cotto $110, et Barnsye Nsw York, B€vsrly Hills. DDC L!b Jspsnsss sslvsge ie.ns, i210, !t DDC L!b, Nc
OantinuedJrornhqe 2) -\cademr Alard appearancesin a black-onblack velvet knee-length tuxedojacket ( 1997) and the n,hite tuxedojacket he \{ore the prc\'iousvearn'hen he u<>nbestsupporting actor fbr his rcle in "-lhe UsualSuspects---both ofwhich 'I landed heavvair-time nith fasbioncritics. santedvery much torcearl'hite. I don't believe it tas a faur pas.It's not mv fault that [the I'crdrmr Awards airsl around the u orld at 3 o'' elock in the molning somerrhereelse, he .ar s n ith nock bemusement."ln Los Angeles it rlas earlv evening, and it l'as appropriate." -\nd it's histon.-l hat rvasKelin SpacevoI lirur and flve vearsago.-l-heKevin Spacevo{' rhe future mav knk like Bobbv Darin.-l-he acr , ' r ' h a \s c t h i . r i g l r t .r r na d a p t i n gt h e , . i n g e r " \t()t1for film''Bobby Darin is one of mv idols. I mean, he \\ as the aoo&,.!l cat in the room. It's just a role that I leel I las bor-nto plar'. . . a chanceto lct the nightclub perfirrmer in me emerge." He tums up the stereoand croonsa Iil bars of Darin's "Morc" in perfi:ct pitch, zurdone wonden u'hat odrer trick lurk up his sleeve.He conIbssesthat Irisrcal talent is an uncannv aptitude firr natural selection-in this case,shopping. ''I recentll u ent shopping r ith [co-star].fudi Dench. a little r,acation{iom'Tlie Shipping Nerrs.'And we both realized that rrc can do sometl)ingthat lnost people can t. \\:e carrrr'alk ont()a fl(xr; at Bamersorat arr\ store,and kn<rr' immediatelr u hether thcrc's anlthin!{ (n tlut ' llrxrrthatuill lrrrk. .l-hat's r i g h t . K e l i n S p a c e vd o e s h i s o l ' n shopping-sometimes, at least.He sa\s he als() n house.does his orr'nlaundrv cleanshis <>lr and picks up alier his dogs. N'liniand Legacr', on their t'alks anrund his \\cst Villagc neighborhood in Nerr \irr-k. I don't lant to live irt a r'o d uhere solrrone brn. rnv clothesatrd la\'sthern oul ati(l tell: nt rrhat ro rlear.I do uclst things rnsell. I takenl dn clcaningto rhe dn cleaners.arrrlI enjol doine it. I think that part of it is.justthc \\a\ I arn. and another part o{-itis r crr c:rlcu lated in the sensethat I don t \\'antto l()\e( (,nt:r(l \rith the \ el'\'thing t h a t I s h o u l d b e i r r t o u c l rr r i t l r a l l t h e t i n r c , r l hich is li{e." Iteulhet.f ohn i.:a vtt/,
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ganreys New York m€rino-wool shirt, $135, at Bameys New Yori( BeverlyHills,over DKNYcotton tanh $15, at DKNY B Center.BameysNewYorkCO-OPwool tab-frontpants,$145,at B€rneysNewYorKBeverlyHills.JimmyChoo boots I site: CalvinKlein lightweightwool suit, $1,575,over merlot cotton shirt, $l55, at select Macy'sdepartmentstor€ CalvinKlein,Nev,York Tom Fordfor Gucci silk tie, $ l I 5, at Gucci,BeverlyHills.Giolgio Armani b€lLTom Fordfor Gucci !