Spacey gives down-to-earth talk

Digging through the garbage, waiting out in the freezing cold and running onto the stage to recite dirty limericks were all probably not in the script for the Social Planning and Events Committee's evening with Kevin Spacey last night, but somehow, all of these things worked their way into the festivities. By 6:30 p.m., masses of students were already braving the cold in front of Zellerbach Theatre, waiting in line for the 7 p.m. screening of Spacey's latest film The Life of David Gale. However, due to overbooking, many disgruntled ticket holders were turned away five minutes before showtime without a glimpse of Spacey. College senior Jacob Dickstein was enraged by the miscalculation. "I find it woefully disappointing that the University oversold tickets and tons of students had to wait in the cold without a chance of ever getting in," he said. Others echoed this sentiment. Some students who did make it through the doors were a little wary of Spacey's actual appearance at the event. But sure enough he was there, sweatshirt-clad and all, for an evening with Penn. This was confirmed by Screenwriting Professor Marc Lapadula whose announcement elicited cheering from the crowd. Students then previewed the film and immediately after, Spacey took the stage to a standing ovation and calls of, "Love you, Kevin!" "Kevin," as he repeatedly encouraged students to call him, then opened the floor for questions. People inquired about everything from script details and political issues that the film raised to the meaning of life, and if there were any roles open in Hollywood for fat ladies. One question even prompted Spacey to admit that he could really go for a Bud. With a chuckle, he quickly added, "I meant the beer -- now I'm in trouble." The Life of David Gale centered around the controversial issue of the death penalty. When questioned about his own position on the topic, Spacey responded, "I have come away from this issue grappling with it and am somewhat reluctant to take a side on it." His reasoning for his ambivalence was that although in the film his character is enmeshed in the issues of the death penalty, he could not put himself in the shoes of those on death row. Spacey also discussed the early days of his career and tried to explain his rise to fame. He grew up surrounded by the arts and fell in love with both theater and film. He attended The Julliard School of Drama for two years with other stars such as Val Kilmer. "It's great to see everyone grown up now and into their careers," he said with a laugh. He attributed his success largely to being lucky. "I found first-time screenwriters -- I was willing to take a chance on them and they on me."

He also was not shy to admit, "A lot of my career has been based on actors walking out of films." This was true for his current role as well, which was originally intended for George Clooney. Some students weren't scared to take on Spacey with whatever issues were on their mind. One student got up and asked Spacey if he remembered her from a previous meeting and then proceeded to hand him pictures of herself with Spacey in front of the crowd. La Salle University junior Britney Barber demanded that Spacey tell her what was behind a scene that included dirty limericks. She whipped out a dirty limerick book of her own and then ran on stage to have him read one of her favorites. Barber later described her onstage encounter as "destined to happen." When asked why so many La Salle students were present at a Penn event, La Salle junior Justin Leo explained that famous film critic Bill Wine, who is a professor at La Salle, got his hands on dozens of tickets and passed them out to his film students. When the event ended, many students remained in the auditorium to speak to Spacey one-on-one and ask for autographs while another group of students rushed outside to rifle through the garbage to reclaim their tickets as souvenirs. Most students reacted positively to both the film and the conversation with Spacey. Thirty-one-year-old Jerome Horsey felt somewhat differently about the film. "You have to have a pretty vivid imagination to add that twist at the end," he said in an ominous tone. "In fact, you almost have to be sick yourself." Although Spacey has experienced a great deal of success throughout his career, he assured the audience that he has not grown complacent. "I've only been making movies for seven years," Spacey said. "There's a huge part of me that I haven't even gotten started. The things that drive me are the things that scare me."

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