Disclaimer: The article contains mention of sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Since 2017, Kevin Spacey has been embroiled in several controversies. It started when actor Anthony Rapp revealed in an interview that three decades ago, the House of Cards star made inappropriate sexual advances towards him.
People Magazine reported that during a Buzzfeed interview on October 29, 2017, Anthony Rapp shared that Spacey tried to “seduce” him. At that point, Rapp was 14, while Spacey was 26. He said, “He was trying to seduce me. I don’t know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually.” Rapp subsequently sued the actor for intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual assault, and sexual battery. According to The Guardian, he asked for $40 million in damages.
In October 2022, Kevin Spacey stood on trial for molestation charges, but the civil trial concluded with a not-guilty verdict. Furthermore, the court ordered Rapp to pay Spacey a little over $39K for defaming him. In the same year, the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) charged him with sexual assault on three individuals. Spacey’s trial began in London in June. Over a year later, on July 26, 2023, a Southwark Crown Court jury decided that he was not guilty.
Variety reported that Kevin Spacey became emotional after hearing the verdict. He then embraced his legal team, which consisted of solicitor Oliver Schneider Sikorsky and barrister Patrick Gibbs QC.
Channel 4 recently premiered a documentary titled Spacey Unmasked, which delved into the actor’s recent years’ controversies surrounding the sexual allegations.
Kevin Spacy unhappy with Channel 4’s Spacey Unmasked
On May 2, 2024, Kevin Spacey expressed his displeasure with the aforementioned documentary on X (formerly Twitter). The actor stated that he asked the broadcaster to allow him seven days to defend himself, but he faced rejection. In the same statement, he called the treatment against him unjust.
He tweeted, “Over the last week, I have repeatedly requested that @Channel4 afford me more than 7 days to respond to allegations made against me dating back 48 years and provide me with sufficient details to investigate these matters. Channel 4 has refused on the basis that they feel that asking for a response in 7 days to new, anonymized and non-specific allegations is a ‘fair opportunity’ for me to refute any allegations made against me.”
A few days later, the actor had a conversation with British journalist Dan Wooton. According to IndieWire, the actor said that he took “full responsibility for my past behavior and my actions,” but he isn’t willing to apologize for fabricated stories. He stated, “I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologize to anyone who’s made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me.”
Additionally, the American Beauty actor revealed that he was flirty and has had past hookups with “some men,” but he never forced anybody to do something against their will. Per The Guardian, Spacey shared, “That may not have been the best decision, and it is not one I would do today, but it happened… It wasn’t illegal, and nor has it ever been alleged to have been illegal.”
While Channel 4 has already premiered Spacey Unmasked in the UK, Max will release the documentary in America soon.
