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In what appears to be the final nail in his leading man coffin, Spacey finally got his reported pet project in theaters by December 2004. The Bobby Darin biopic Beyond the Sea didn't make a splash but rather a thud. Priced at $24 million and with Spacey at the helm and in the lead role, Beyond the Sea docked a measly $6.3 million. Credit must be given to Spacey for fully embracing this film despite the aforementioned proof that audiences weren't exactly buying him as a star. About the film, he was quoted as saying, "[It] is not a linear story at all. It's not what people will expect and it's not a biopic. It's my statement." If that type of nontraditional perception doesn't scream "I'll do things how I want to do them," then I don't know what does. Again, I give kudos to him for not compromising his vision despite it costing a studio millions of dollars.

In the wake of Beyond the Sea, Spacey got back to his roots in the theater and clearly parlayed his cinematic accolades to become Artistic Director of London's Old Vic Theater. It would be a year and a half later before Spacey's face would grace the silver screen again.

In 2006, he not only reunited with Bryan Singer Superman Returns, he got back in touch with his John Doe-dark side by transforming Lex Luthor into a more sinister villain and less the over-the-top version that Gene Hackman gave us. While it might seem a step backward, this move was the right step for him since exhausting the lead options that yielded fair to poor results outside of American Beauty.

Subsequently, he followed up his portrayal of Lex Luthor with supporting roles in two minor hits over the last two years, 2007's Fred Claus and 2008's 21. The fact that neither of the films featured Spacey in the advertising is a testament to the fact that he is clearly not assumed to have much box office heft. If the studios thought they could wring a few extra million dollars out of a film by playing up his role, then we all know it would have happened.

Wisely, he appears to have settled back into just being an actor and not a movie star until the right time and right project arise, like it did with American Beauty. Until those occasions present themselves, we will just have to enjoy him chewing the scenery as the bad guy or the supporting player.

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