Guy Pearce Never Needed to Be a Movie Star

A few years ago, as Guy Pearce filmed a television series in his native Australia, a young actress introduced herself by asking who his American agents were. She was determined to succeed in Hollywood, as she felt he had, and was eager to seek a shortcut.

Pearce was amused by her misplaced moxie. “The idea of rushing to Hollywood, I was in no rush whatsoever,” he said, adding, “I’m still not in any rush.

Though he now lives primarily in the Netherlands to be closer to the son he shares with the “Games of Thrones” actress Carice van Houten, the critical success of “The Brutalist” has made Pearce a hot commodity in Hollywood again. “It’s actually nice to reignite my relationship with L.A.,” he told me this month, when I caught up with him at a Hollywood movie theater the day before the Golden Globes.

Still, Pearce remains disinclined toward movie stardom Since he became known as a teen idol in Australia for appearing on the long-running soap “Neighbours,” he has been skeptical of fame.

“If people are screaming and trying to rip my shirt off me because I’ve got blue eyes, then that’s just ridiculous,” he said. “I’ve got a sister with an intellectual disability who’s teased in the street because she looks different, so the idea of me wanting attention and being famous for no reason is vacuous and meaningless when there are people in the world who are far less privileged