Guy Pearce's harsh thoughts for 'snobby' actress who mocked his turn on Neighbours

Australian actor Guy Pearce has recalled being mocked for his early career by a "snobby" actress after he made the move to the United States.

Pearce, 57, has been nominated for an Oscar for his role in the move The Brutalist, his first Academy Award nomination.

During a recent interview with The Times following his nomination, Pearce spoke of his time on beloved Australian TV series Neighbours. Pearce played Mike Young from 1986 to 1989 alongside Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan.

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"I have many feelings about that show," Pearce said when asked about the show that launched his career, adding that he considered himself "lucky" to have scored the role.

He explained in "the old days" you were either a theatre actor or a film actor and those who worked in TV, particularly a "soap", were "the lowest of the low".

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"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 s--t ad on TV. I so wanted to go and find her and say, 'OK…'," he shared.

Pearce gained international attention for his breakout movie role The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, released in 1994.

His Hollywood breakthrough was alongside Russell Crowe in L.A. Confidential in 1997 and then Memento in 2000.

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For the next decade, Pearce worked consistently in both films and TV including The Time Machine in 2002, The Count of Monte Cristo in 2002, Bedtime Stories in 2008, The Hurt Locker in 2009, The King's Speech in 2010 and Lawless in 2010.

Pearce then joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe for Iron Man 3 in 2013 and starred in a series of minor roles before joining Kate Winslet for TV series Mare of Easttown in 2021, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

His role in The Brutalist has scored him two nominations, Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The Brutalist has a total of 10 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director and Best Original Score.

The movie, which also stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, tells the story of a visionary architect and his wife who flee flee post-war Europe in 1947 to rebuild their legacy and witness the birth of modern United States.

Pearce isn't the only Aussie nominated, with Oscar-winning animator Adam Elliot up for Best Animated Feature Film for Memoir of a Snail.

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