Guy Pearce Thinks Death Defying Acts Failed Because of Harvey Weinstein

Guy Pearce is opening up about the one film he says should have received more recognition — and why he believes it flopped.

“I think Death Defying Acts,” Pearce, 57, exclusively told Us Weekly on the red carpet at the Gotham Awards on Monday, December 2. “Gillian Armstrong directed [it.] I was in it with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Saoirse Ronan … an incredible talent. It was one of those films that got lost in the Harvey Weinstein wash.”

Produced by Myriad Pictures and distributed by The Weinstein Company — the former film production company founded by the now-disgraced producer and his brother, Bob Weinstein — Death Defying Acts was filmed in 2006 and released in 2007. The film went on to become a huge box-office disappointment. At the time, Harvey,72, had a reputation as being a bully who abused his power at the studio.

“That was an unfortunate turn of events because the film’s really beautiful. Gillian’s an amazing filmmaker,” Pearce said, before adding that more people should go watch it. “Death Defying Acts is a really beautiful, mystical love story. I don’t do many love stories, so when you do you want people to see it.”

In 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker reported that dozens of women had accused Harvey of sexual assault, sexual abuse and rape, subsequently sparking what was later referred to as the #MeToo movement. In 2020, Weinstein was found guilty of criminal sexual assault and third-degree rape in his New York City trial. (He was acquitted on the three other counts including predatory sexual assault and first-degree rape.) In April 2024, his conviction was overturned and in September, he pleaded not guilty to an additional criminal sex act charge. Weinstein has been held at Rikers Island as he awaits a retrial on rape charges and was recently transferred to a nearby hospital for medical purposes.

In addition to the allegations involving Weinstein, Pearce told Us that the film was released during a particularly difficult time in his personal life. “I turned 39 during the movie, which strangely, was the age my father was when he died,” he explained.

Pearce was 8 years old when his dad, Stuart — a pilot — died in a plane crash in 1976. While Pearce’s memory of his father is “all sort of based on photos,” he reflected on what he believes his dad would think of his acting career.

“I actually have this feeling that he wouldn’t have been so keen on it. I think he would have preferred me to be in the military, which wasn’t gonna happen,” Pearce quipped.

Pearce’s additional film credits include L.A. Confidential, The Hurt Locker, The Rover, Lawless, Mary Queen of Scots, The Catcher Was a Spy and Memento, among others.

Pearce’s most recent role was in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist starring opposite Adrien Brody, who received a lot of buzz for his performance this award season. Along with Brody, 51, Pearce has been making waves for his work in the film, too — he was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Performance at the Gotham Awards but lost out to Clarence Maclin in Sing Sing (another A24 movie).

Pearce’s Death Defying Acts’ costar Ronan, 30, was nominated for Outstanding Lead Performance but lost out to Colman Domingo, who also starred in Sing Sing.

With reporting by Antonio Ferme