A spate of A-list public figures recently have advocated for Kevin Spacey’s return to the movie industry.
Liam Neeson, Sharon Stone, F. Murray Abraham and Stephen Fry all stated their support for the former “House of Cards” actor, who has faced a series of sexual assault allegations made by numerous men. In 2017, during the height of the #MeToo movement, actor and Broadway performer Anthony Rapp told Buzzfeed that Spacey had assaulted him during a party at his New York City apartment in 1986 when Rapp was only 14 years old. Spacey at the time took to X/Twitter to issue the “sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior,” asserting that he had no recollection of the incident. He also used the post as an opportunity to officially and publicly come out as gay, a move that was harshly condemned by many people inside and outside the LGBTQ+ community.
Rapp’s claims led to more than a dozen subsequent allegations, culminating in Spacey being charged with four counts of sexual assault against three men. A British jury in July 2023 ruled that he was not guilty of the assaults, which Spacey’s accusers reported took place between 2001 and 2013. The two-time Academy Award winner was also involved in a $40 million sexual battery lawsuit with Rapp, for which a New York jury sided with Spacey, determining that he was not guilty in October 2022.
Now, speaking to The Telegraph, multiple stars have defended the “American Beauty” actor, arguing in favor of his reinstatement in Hollywood.
“I was deeply saddened to learn of these accusations against him. Kevin is a good man and a man of character,” Neeson told the outlet, per Entertainment Weekly. “He’s sensitive, articulate and non-judgmental, with a terrific sense of humor. He is also one of our finest artists in the theatre and on camera. Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly.”
Stone said that she “can’t wait to see Kevin back at work,” adding that “He is a genius. He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will.
“It’s terrible that they are blaming him for not being able to come to terms with themselves for using him and negotiating with themselves because they didn’t get their secret agendas,” she continued.
The stars’ vocal support for Spacey follows the revelation of new allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct in “Spacey Unmasked,” a two-part documentary from British network Channel 4 that was released stateside on Max on May 13. According to Vulture, the documentary includes the following statement from Spacey: “I have consistently denied — and now successfully defended — numerous allegations made both in the US and UK, both criminal and civil, and each time have been able to source evidence undermining the allegations and have been believed by a jury of my peers.”
On May 2,