Benjamin Jones
Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is reacting to new allegations of sexual harassment and assault by men that will be featured as part of a British television documentary due out next week.
“I have nothing left to hide,” Spacey told former British journalist Dan Wootton during a two-hour, 20-minute online interview titled “Kevin Spacey: Right of Reply,” which aired Friday on Wootton’s. Youtube channel and social media accounts.
In the interview, Spacey, 64, said he had never done anything illegal and admitted he had difficulty returning to work after being acquitted last year of criminal charges in a London court.
“I can’t go through this again, allowing myself to be baselessly attacked without defending myself,” he said.
Last July, a London jury acquitted Spacey about sexual assault allegations stemming from allegations made by four men 20 years ago. The court victory was the second since a New York jury sided with Spacey in a US$40 million process in 2022 brought by “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp.
The documentary “Spacey Unmasked” will be shown on May 6th and 7th on Channel 4 in Britain and broadcast on Max in the US. The documentary will feature testimonies from men about events between 1976 and 2013, the actor revealed during the interview. .
“I take full responsibility for my past behavior and actions, but I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologize to anyone who has made up things about me or exaggerated stories about me,” said Spacey, who won an Oscar for “The Usual Suspects.” ” and “American Beauty”.
“I have never told anyone that if they give me sexual favors I will help them with their career, ever,” he added.
Kin Cheung/AP
Spacey, who served as artistic director of the Old Vic Theater in London from 2004 to 2015, again admitted that he “flirts” with men in their 20s and sometimes makes “awkward” passes.
“I clearly hooked up with some men who thought they could advance their careers if they were in a relationship with me,” he said. “But there was no conversation with me, it was all part of their plan, a plan that was always doomed to fail, because I was not involved in the agreement.”
The actor said in the interview that having his Hollywood career cut short had affected him financially, but that returning to work last year was both welcome and challenging. At the time of the first accusations in 2017, Spacey was starring as Frank Underwood in the highly popular Netflix drama “House of Cards.” It was also the beginning of the #MeToo movement.
“It’s a very special feeling, a very, very valuable moment because, you know, acting is really lying to a profession. You’re trying to convince the audience that you’re someone else, and that’s probably why it’s easy for me and why a lot of people think I’m good at it,” Spacey told Wootton.
He added: “The reality is that I only had one dream in life: to be an actor. And while I certainly loved the attention I received, the truth is that I would have been quite content to never show up. at another awards show again.”
The actor also stated on X, formerly Twitter, that he had “repeatedly requested“Channel 4 gives him more than seven days to respond to the allegations made about him in his documentary.
Spacey said the network declined “on the basis that they feel that asking for a response within 7 days to new, anonymous, non-specific allegations is a ‘fair opportunity’ for me to refute any allegations made against me.”
“Each time I was given time and a proper forum to defend myself, the allegations failed scrutiny and I was exonerated,” he added.
Spacey said he has struggled to return to work after being acquitted of all criminal charges, describing his experience as a “life sentence.”
The Associated Press has contacted Channel 4 for comment. CBS News has reached out to Max for comment.
