For Kevin Spacey,a reviled lobbyist is no mere villain

So I befriended George and we started talking, Brunetti said. Spacey and Hickenlooper eventually flew to London to see him. He got the part. I think it probably wouldve been somebody else if that connection hadnt been made and George hadnt posted that status update, Brunetti said. Spacey and Brunetti,partners in the production company Trigger Street,have been telling that Facebook casting story with the caveat that they helped produce one of this seasons major awards contenders,The Social Network that revolved around the founding of Facebook.

The irony of that is not lost on me, Spacey said,though its less irony,perhaps,than good fortune. Recently he was nominated for a Golden Globe as best actor in a comedy or musical for Casino Jack. To prepare,Spacey and Hickenlooper spent six hours with Abramoff nicknamed Casino Jack for the multimillion-dollar dealings with Indian casinos that eventually led to his downfall at a federal penitentiary. He was very open,answered lots and lots of questions, Spacey said.

In Spaceys characterisation Abramoff is less a villain than an exemplar of the corrupt Washington lobbying system. I think he was portrayed as a villain and did some bad things, Spacey said. Maybe nobody did it as big as he did it. But,he added,if youre in an industry in which this is acceptable behaviour were selling votes,were selling accessI think there is a level of hypocrisy that we tried to illustrate.

Spaceys promotion of the film took on added importance when Hickenlooper died unexpectedly in October at the age of 47. If you look at his career, Spacey said,he only did things he absolutely believed in.

Spacey suggested Jon Lovitz for the part of an unscrupulous mattress salesman turned casino financier. Though theyd never worked together before,Spacey does a pitch-perfect impression of Lovitz,and in the film he imitates Ronald Reagan,Walter Matthau,Bill Clinton and Dolph Lundgren,though only the latter was taken from Abramoffs repertory.

After the second take I just said,Well,youre the best actor Ive ever worked with, Lovitz said. Its like playing tennis with someone better than you: they feed you the ball perfect.

Spacey,51,started out as a stand-up,and in person hes still effortlessly funny,articulate and slightly profane. For nearly the past decade,he has led the Old Vic Theater in London,where he lives. He took the job after he won his second Academy Award,for American Beauty,in 2000.

Spacey has been choosy about his film roles,doing mostly small parts (with the exception of Lex Luthor in Superman Returns) as Brunetti runs Trigger Street. Spacey said Casino Jack appealed to him in part because he is a politics buff; during the interview he was gleeful about taping an appearance on Bill OReillys program on Fox News that day. The timing and experience of Casino Jack seem to have rekindled his enthusiasm for more film projects. Though in a 2006 interview Spacey said he planned to stay in the job at the Old Vic for another decade,he now says this film represents his return to Hollywood. Ill believe it when I see it, Brunetti said.