Watch Kevin Spacey Perform Amazing Jack Lemmon and Carson Impressions and Hear About His Work With Emerging Talents in the Middle East
There are a lot of people known for their amazing impressions and Kevin Spacey is undoubtably one of the top names on that list. Last night on Letterman, he did a perfect Jack Lemmon. Not only is it unbelievable how amazing his Jack Lemmon impression is, but it’s such a comfortable and effortless sounding version of Lemmon, that it’s almost a shock when he goes back to using his regular voice. Spacey said he met Lemmon when he was only 13 years old, and the legendary actor would go on to become a mentor and friend. The two men would later work together on four projects, including the iconic film Glengary Glen Ross, which he said Lemmon used to call “Gene Barry Glenn Close”.
Letterman also requested a little Johnny Carson. Spacey delivered a flawless Carson monologue as well.
Spacey was on The Late Show talking about his latest project, helping young actors in the Middle East. He’s formed a foundation and has been doing workshops to help emerging talents– actors, writers, directors — to get their start, in 12 different nations throughout the Middle East. They’ve even brought participants from all 12 nations together to perform theater which has been extremely rewarding for Spacey, who believes the benefits of his program go far beyond finding and assisting creative talent. “You can sometimes say things, do thing and accomplish things artistically that you can’t do politically,” Spacey said. For example, the men from Saudi Arabia and Egypt had never been on stage with women before.
Spacey has been influencing culture throughout the world for a long time now. In addition to working in the Middle East, he’s also in his 11th year of being in charge of the Royal Theater in London.
It’s a part of a philosophy Spacey adopted from his friend and mentor Jack Lemmon, “if you did well in the business that you wanted to do well in then it is your obligation to spend a good portion of your time sending the elevator back down.”
