'Still depressed': Why Guy Pearce hates his performance in 'Memento'
What's the story
Despite the universal praise for his performance in Christopher Nolan's 2000 film Memento, actor Guy Pearce recently revealed he was unhappy with his performance.
Speaking to The Times, he likened watching his performance to "nails on a chalkboard."
He admitted to facing an "existential crisis" after re-watching the film and slammed his effort at a "flippant attitude" in the movie.
Self-critique
'I'm bad in a good movie'
Reflecting on his performance, Pearce said, "I watched Memento the other day and I'm still depressed. I'm s— in that movie."
He added, "I was trying to do a flippant attitude, but it was all wrong. I watched Memento and realized I'm bad in a good movie. F—."
"While it was playing I realized I hate what I did."
Directorial experience
Pearce's reflections on working with Nolan
Despite his self-criticism, Pearce hasn't spoken to Nolan yet. He guessed the director would agree with him.
Reflecting on the public's opinion that he should've been nominated for Memento, he said, "Now I understand why I wasn't."
In a previous statement about working with Nolan on Memento, Pearce had said, "It's hard to compete with Chris Nolan. He's such a towering intellect."
Film's achievement
'Memento' success despite Pearce's self-criticism
Despite Pearce's self-criticism, Memento was a commercial and critical success. The film grossed over $40 million worldwide and currently holds a 94% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In the movie, Pearce played Leonard, a man with short-term memory loss seeking revenge for his wife's rape and murder.
The film also starred Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano.