Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
American Beautystirred a lot of debate when it hit screens in 1999. Directed by Sam Mendes, the film explores complex and often uncomfortable themes. Mena Suvari played Angela Hayes, a confident yet shallow teenager who catches the attention of Lester Burnham, a man in the throes of a midlife crisis, portrayed by Kevin Spacey. Angela is the 17-year-old best friend of Lester’s daughter, making the situation even more unsettling.
Over the years, Spacey himself has been embroiled in controversies following accusations of abuse. Interestingly, Suvari once opened up about her own discomfort while working on the film, which remains a topic of discussion when revisiting the movie’s themes and its troubled legacy.
Mena Suvari felt weird with Kevin Spacey’s acting method
Mena Suvari opened up about a strange experience she had while filmingAmerican Beautyback in 1999. At the time, Suvari was only 19 years old, playing Angela Hayes, the best friend of Lester Burnham’s daughter, Lester being a character played byKevin Spacey. The film, which explores themes of obsession and midlife crisis, involved intense scenes between the two actors. However, Suvari shared a particularly odd moment she had with Spacey while filming an intimate sequence.
In her book,The Great Peace: A Memoir, Mena Suvari looks back and reflects on the events of that time. During the shoot, Spacey suggested they take a break to prepare for the scene. He led her into a small side room with a bed, where they lay down together. Spacey held her gently, and while the moment wasn’t inappropriate or sexual, Suvari described it as unusual and a bit unsettling. She recalled how peaceful yet strange it felt, almost as if the boundaries between performance and reality blurred for a while.
“People are fascinated by US politics”: Kevin Spacey’s Oddly Specific Reason for Doing House of Cards Got Nothing to Do With US Elections
The 45-year-old actress described it toPeople, saying
He was sort of gently holding me. It was very peaceful but weird and unusual.
This encounter has stayed with Suvari over the years, and looking back, she sees it in a new light. At the time, she may not have fully processed how odd the situation was, especially given her young age and Spacey, who is now 65 years old, being 20 years older. The memory now stands out as a moment of discomfort.
Mena Suvari opened up about how the experience felt natural to her
Mena Suvari shared her thoughts on how certain moments in her past felt oddly natural at the time, despite now recognizing the deeper questions they raise. Her reflections come after multiple allegations surfaced against Kevin Spacey, starting in 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp accused him of inappropriate behavior from decades earlier. As more individuals came forward, Suvari began to reevaluate some of her own experiences, though Spacey has denied the allegations.
“People would label me Kevin Spacey, gay actor”: Kevin Spacey Regretted Coming Out as Gay After Living in Fear For Years
Looking back, Suvari admitted she hadn’t fully considered the dynamics of one specific moment she shared with Spacey during her time onAmerican Beauty. For her, it was less about the details of that interaction and more about the environment she found herself in as a young actress.
Being placed in private, intimate settings with older men was something she accepted as a normal part of her job, never stopping to question it. She said (viaET Online)
I mean, upon hearing the accusations I wondered a little bit more about that moment that we had in that room. But by me sharing that story was really to exhibit where I was at. … Why was that just natural or OK for me to just be in these rooms with older individuals, mainly older men? In this intimate, you know, situation?
She further said,
I talk about in the book how even when I came out to Los Angeles and living at the Oakwood, I was like 15 and I ended up with someone who was about 26 in their apartment and just kissing and making out and that was it.
Her reflections stem from a desire to understand why she accepted such situations without hesitation. She continued
So, it’s to show another example of how it was just commonplace for me. And what I’m trying to address is like, why that was just OK? Why that was OK for me, why I never questioned it, why I never asked, you know, what was happening at the time, and why I just considered that part of my job? That’s the question that I had around it.
It wasn’t until years later that she began to ask herself why these experiences were treated as routine and why she didn’t feel empowered to push back or seek clarity at the time.
Did working onAmerican Beautybecome a much-needed break for Mena Suvari?
Mena Suvari has had a painful past. Suvari was the victim of repeated sxual abuse from the age of 12 to 20. As a way to escape reality, the actor turned to drgs. She acknowledges that her past experiences shaped her mindset, making it hard for her to recognize or question any inappropriate behavior on set.
Mena Suvari reflects on her time working onAmerican Beauty, calling it a much-needed escape from the struggles in her personal life. While the experience provided her with a sense of relief, it was also marked by moments that now stand out as unsettling.
Suvari shares that her past shaped how she approached the job and the environment on set. Back then, she didn’t fully grasp what was happening or being expected of her. She simply accepted it as part of the industry (viaET Online).
‘Oh, this is what you want to do with me? Or, like, ‘This is what you want with me?’ And even if I didn’t totally understand that then, or what was really happening, or what was being asked of me, it was more that it just feels so surprising to me that that was just commonplace. It was like OK, like, that’s just part of my job.
Reflecting on her interactions during the production, Suvari notes she wasn’t particularly close with anyone in the cast. Despite working alongside names like Kevin Spacey, Thora Birch, and Wes Bentley, her connection with them remained professional and distant. She describes her time on set as isolated, seeing her role primarily as a job she was lucky to have, without feeling a deeper sense of belonging or camaraderie. She shared,
I was there, but I didn’t share any more than that. It was just very kind of separate and that’s how I saw things, too. … So much of it for me was about me feeling that I really deserved it in any way, too.
“I like the redemption idea”: After Johnny Depp and Kevin Spacey, Another Actor Shunned by Hollywood Finds Shelter in European Cinema With New Movie in Works
At the time, she approached her work with gratitude, even if she didn’t feel entirely confident or deserving of the opportunity. The atmosphere on set was respectful, but she acknowledges that her mindset and circumstances made it difficult to forge meaningful relationships.
Today, Suvari finds it empowering to speak openly about her past experiences, both on and off-set. Sharing her journey feels like a release, allowing her to process and move forward. She is now married to Michael Hope, and the couple has a son together.
American Beautyis available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Sohini Mukherjee
Content Writer
Articles Published :331
Sohini Mukherjee is an Evergreen writer at FandomWire, specializing in pop culture, all things sitcoms, and, of course, Harry Potter. She has a soft spot for shows like Modern Family and pretty much any movie that knows how to tell a good story. You’ll find her name on listicles and long form articles that feel more like fun conversations than stiff articles. Having published over 300 articles, Sohini always brings a unique perspective and a deep understanding of the stories she covers.
