25 Things You Didn’t Know About Se7en
18. Kevin Spacey Insisted On Removing His Credit From The Beginning Of The Movie
As the release approached, New Line stepped in to demand that Kevin Spacey receive top billing over Pitt and Freeman, given the buzz that The Usual Suspects and Swimming With Sharks had been receiving all year.
However, when he heard this Spacey put his foot down, insisting that this would telegraph his appearance in the film - anyone who came to the movie knowing he was in it would spend the whole thing waiting for him to materialise and when he didn’t, would quickly figure out that he must be the murderer.
Walker agreed, noting how implying that Spacey was the killer would throw the film’s audience off balance for fully two-thirds of the film.
To compensate, Spacey was listed twice in the closing credits - once as the credits begin to roll, and again in order of appearance in the cast list proper.
However, there was another plus point for Spacey, who was suddenly in huge demand after a decade mostly working in theatre and television. Given the secrecy about his appearance, it made no sense for him to be involved in the film’s publicity tour - so he was excused any contractual requirement to take time out to promote the movie.