A shot from the movie "American Beauty" with 2 autographs by Kevin Spacey and Annetta Beningo

Kevin Spacey is an American stage and film actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. In 1999, in the psychological drama "American Beauty," Kevin played one of his best roles, which elevated him to the level of a Hollywood star. At the Academy Awards ceremony, the film was nominated in eight categories, in five of which it won, including Spacey, who received his award, becoming the best actor of the year. The film, which tells about the life of a man going through a midlife crisis, is among the iconic ones.

Annette Bening is an American stage and film actress. The biggest critical and commercial success of her career was also the 1999 film American Beauty.

The selection of actors for the project took a lot of time. The fact is that director Sam Mendes initially saw Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening as the main actors. However, this solution did not satisfy DreamWorks. The studio insisted on more stellar candidates. Bruce Willis, John Travolta and Kevin Costner were considered for the male role and Helen Hunt and Holly Hunter for the female role. In the end, however, the producers were forced to admit Mendes was right.