Guy Pearce on playing Kim Philby in ‘A Spy Among Friends’

Guy Pearce talks about the experiences that inform the actor in him and explains why most actors like spy-thrillers

With notable films like L.A. Confidential, Memento, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert under his belt, Guy Pearce set his sights on the infamous British spy, Kim Philby, in his latest venture A Spy Among Friends, directed by Nick Murphy.

Philby was an infamous British intelligence officer and a double agent for the Soviet Union. In the early stages of the Cold War, it was revealed that Philby, a member of the Cambridge Five, divulged British secrets to the Soviets. The series chronicles Philby’s escape from Beirut to Russia and the unfolding of the scandal that sent shockwaves through the international intelligence community. 

In an interview with The Hindu over a Zoom call, the actor spoke about the precarity involved in playing a character like Philby and his interest in spy thrillers.

Guy, who has essayed the roles of Andy Warhol, Harry Houdini and Edward VIII in his previous projects, claims that there is a certain excitement in playing a real-life person on screen. “It lets me delve into the factual existence of the person and get closer to finding the truth about the character,” he says. However, he confesses that it was not the case when it came to portraying Kim Philby. “With someone like Philby, the truth of the character is hidden in the mysterious and mercurial behaviour of the person. For example: on one level he was a charming, affable man in society who could hold a room but on the other hand, he used his apparent belief in communism to do the things he did,” remarks Guy, who is cautious while talking about his character’s political beliefs.

But the Australian actor is candid while discussing Philby as an individual and admits that it was difficult to understand the motivations of the British intelligence officer. “He is a duplicitous character and hypocritical. I felt like he was a part of two different worlds and I had to find and strike a balance between them. It was quite a delicate line to tread and I had to be careful with every move I made,” he shares. 

The actor is grateful that the nuanced script aided him in his journey of playing the infamous spy, “I am aware that there is a limited narrative through which we are telling his story and that does not require every motivation of his. I only needed to understand and authenticate what the script does.”

The actor from down under is quick to profess his love for spy thrillers and points out, “Most actors find the world of espionage pretty intriguing because you have characters who say one thing and do something else altogether.” He also appears to fancy the posh British accent he had to adapt for the role — something he claims comes easily to him. “I was aware of the upper-class British accent because my mother used to muck around doing accents all the time and I was exposed to them at an early age,” he chuckles. He is elated that he had the opportunity to play a character like Philby. “It was a nice challenge,” he remarks.