Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey was one of the last actors cast in the film after a fair amount of tribulation over who would play the part of Jack Vincennes. Hanson decided to cast Spacey because of his “movie star charisma,” something he had shown in Se7en and The Usual Suspects. Hanson felt that Spacey "could play the man behind that veneer, the man who also lost his soul,” something which Spacey jumped at the chance of doing. And although Spacey isn’t in the film as much as Crowe or Pearce, he plays his part well, kind of like Dean Martin.
Russell Crowe
Although he catapulted to superstardom with 2000’s Gladiator, Australian actor Russell Crowe put his name on the map with L.A. Confidential.
Director Curtis Hanson discovered Crowe when watching Romper Stomper, who starred as a member of a Neo-Nazi gang. Hanson thought he was "repulsive and scary, but captivating" and decided to extend him an offer to star in L.A. Confidential.
When Crowe received Hanson’s offer, he was at least somewhat familiar with James Ellroy’s work, having read The Black Dahlia. He had not, however, read L.A. Confidential, so Hanson’s script was his first time reading the story. Crowe decided to star in the film because he was attracted to White’s "self-righteous moral crusade.” And the rest, as they say, is history.
Guy Pearce
Before starring in L.A. Confidential, Guy Pearce was an unknown actor in America, something that worried the film’s producers. However, after they saw him perform on tape, they agreed to cast him in the film.
Hanson was attracted to Pearce and thought that he "was very much what I had in mind for Ed Exley." After a while, Pearce agreed. Initially, though, he didn’t like the character, saying that "I was pretty quick to judge him and dislike him for being so self-righteous ... But I liked how honest he became about himself. I knew I could grow to respect and understand him." To prepare for his role, Pearce lived in Los Angeles for several months and became acquainted with the Los Angeles Police. He also watched old police training films and trained with a dialect coach to perfect his accent - something that was worrisome to the director as Pearce had never before played an American in a film.
