Actors have always borrowed from the world around them, whether it’s a stranger’s walk, a half-remembered voice, or a headline figure. Playing someone fictional only requires convincing an audience. Playing a living, breathing person adds a second judge, because the subject can see the result too. Guy Pearce knows that pressure well as he portrays Rupert Murdoch in Ink.

Pearce's guess at how Rupert Murdoch would react to his imitation of the business mogul is not exactly flattering.

While most actors keep their eyes on Rotten Tomatoes scores as they wait to hear what audiences think of their performances, Guy Pearce has a different verdict in mind. He believes Rupert Murdoch’s reaction to his portrayal in Ink would be like tasting a rotten tomato. Despite being assured by Liz Murdoch, Pearce remains unconfident about Rupert Murdoch's faith in him.

"He might watch the film and go, ‘Eugh! What were they thinking?," Pearce told The Hollywood Reporter at the BFI London Film Festival.

While Pearce's statement to The Hollywood Reporter paints an unsteady picture, his filmography and list of awards say otherwise. With a Primetime Emmy and an Actor award to his name, Pearce stands as arguably one of the most cherished actors in Hollywood.

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Pearce may be doubtful about Murdoch’s verdict, but the film that has him worried is already generating plenty of buzz.

To understand why Guy Pearce’s portrayal of Rupert Murdoch carries such weight, the story behind Ink needs a closer look. And that is exactly what Danny Boyle does. Ink follows a brash young Rupert Murdoch as he tries to turn around the fortunes of the struggling British newspaper The Sun. Set in 1969 London, the story sees Murdoch bring on rogue editor Larry Lamb, played by Jack O’Connell, who recruits an unlikely team of underdog reporters, and together they go to any lengths for success.

Claire Foy joins the cast as Joyce Hopkirk, while James Graham adapts the film from his own stage play. Ink made its world premiere as the opening film of the Venice Film Festival on September 2. The film arrives in select theaters on December 11, followed by its Netflix debut in the US and Latin America on January 8, 2027. Whether Murdoch ever sits down to watch it, Ink will have its own verdict soon enough, and Pearce can only hope that it is not a rotten one.

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Are you excited about Rupert Murdoch's Ink? Let us know in the comments.