18th
Celebrity Encounters: Kevin Spacey
Courtesy of Amory Blaine here in Montreal:
“It was 1998 and I was in London, England for a year on what would end up a botched academic exchange. I had gotten pub work north of the city centre in the posh Islington neighbourhood, not far from the famous Almeida theatre.
“I was working the lunch shift (pseudo-gourmet pub grub: pasta, sausage, etc) and this guy comes in and sits at some random table out on the floor. Now, the standard drill at these places is NO TABLE SERVICE. You have to order from the bar. So boy-o is looking toward me and shrugs his shoulders, to which I reply, ‘sorry, there’s no table service.’ He promptly trots up to the bar and asks if he can have the penne without the bacon, and that’s when it dawns on me.
“Turns out Spacey was rehearsing just up the street at the Almeida for an upcoming production of The Iceman Cometh. ‘You can have it however you want,’ I blurted out sycophantically. I told the cook whose order it was and he fast-tracked that shit on the spot.
“The best part though was when I brought him his Coke. As I handed it to him he reaches out and, I swear to god, caresses my finger as he’s taking the glass from me. Now, I remembered he kicked up a storm over that Esquire interview, so right away I’m thinking, ‘OK, Spacey’s on the DL.’ All I know is that I made him get up out his seat to order. that was great.”
