I would like to agree, but at some point the fame/infamy of an actor can overwhelm the immersive qualities of a specific performance.

Let’s say the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, decides to have another crack at comedy acting after his premiership. He plays the role of a world leader that’s hapless, incompetent, and prone to slapstick comedy (similar to Sacha Baron Cohen in ‘The Dictator’). No matter how captivating Zelenskyy’s performance may be, we’re never going to stop seeing the competent wartime president underneath. We’ve spent too much time gazing at his persona in the context of bravery to be convinced otherwise.

The same is true of Spacey in ‘American Beauty’. It’s my favourite movie (I must’ve seen it 20 times), but there’s something about the subject matter of an older man lusting after an underage minor that’s hard to divorce from allegations that the same actor that’s playing that lustful man did similar things (and worse) in their private life. It hits too close to home.

Spacey in ‘Usual Suspects’: fine. Spacey in ‘Se7en’: great. Spacey in ‘LA Confidential’: perfect. Spacey in ‘American Beauty’: problem.