AceShowbiz - Guy Pearce reflected on his performance in Christopher Nolan's 2000 thriller "Memento," revealing that he is highly critical of his own work in the film. In an interview with The Times, Pearce said, "I watched Memento the other day and I'm still depressed. I'm s*** in that movie."

This stark assessment marks a significant shift from his previous views as he had never thought that before. "I did this Q&A of Memento earlier this month and decided to actually watch the film again. But while it was playing I realized I hate what I did," he confessed.

"Memento" tells the story of Leonard Shelby, an insurance investigator with anterograde amnesia who uses notes and tattoos to track down the man he believes killed his wife. The film's unique narrative structure and Pearce's portrayal of Leonard earned it a special place in cinematic history, but Pearce himself feels he fell short.

"I was trying to do a flippant attitude, but it was all wrong," Pearce explained. "John Gielgud once said, 'You can be good in a good movie, good in a bad movie, bad in a bad movie, but never be bad in a good movie.' Yet I watched Memento and realized I'm bad in a good movie. F***."

Pearce hasn't shared these feelings with Nolan, noting, "No, because I reckon he'd agree with me."

Some fans and critics believed over the years that Pearce should have been nominated for his role in 'Memento,' but the actor now understands why that didn't happen, "It's funny; people say I should've been nominated for Memento. Now I understand why I wasn't."

While he was unimpressed by his performance in "Memento", Pearce remains proud of other works like "L.A. Confidential". "Look, I'm pleased with L.A. Confidential, but I look at this and go, 'Oof! Nails on a chalkboard!' If I reckon my performance in Neighbours is two out of ten, Memento is a five," he remarked.

Interestingly, Pearce had previously attributed his lack of further collaboration with Nolan to a disapproving Warner Bros. executive. However, after rewatching "Memento", he reevaluated this notion. "All this stuff about an exec at Warners being why I've not worked with Chris again? It came crashing down," he said. "I know why I didn't work with Chris again - it's because I'm no good in Memento."

Since then, Pearce has continued to build a diverse filmography and received his first Academy Award nomination for his role in "The Brutalist." Nonetheless, his candid reflections on "Memento" provide a unique glimpse into the mind of an actor striving for artistic integrity and self-improvement.