Kevin Spacey has condemned a forthcoming documentary, “Spacey Unmasked”, that delves into decades of the actor’s supposed sexual misconduct, arguing he was not given a reasonable time frame to address the allegations.
The two-segment documentary is due to air on the UK’s Channel 4 on May 6th and 7th and will also be accessible on Max in the USA. It purports to include “unseen interviews and archive” content, providing an in-depth look into the life of the Academy Award-winning actor, detailing his upbringing and early Broadway succes through to his rapid rise to fame.
Kevin Spacey was cleared of sexual assault charges involving four men by a British court in July 2023, in a case that was one of the most publicised #MeToo trials in the UK. The documentary series endeavors to scrutinize Spacey’s behaviour, featuring interviews with several men not involved in the aforementioned case, the majority of whom haven’t spoken about their encounters with Spacey before.
On X, previously known as Twitter, the seasoned actor stated that the seven-day period allowed for him to dispute allegations “stemming from 48 years ago” was insufficient, and also complained about the lack of adequate details required for him to probe these issues.
Spacey criticised Channel 4’s refusal to extend the response time, arguing that they believe the seven-day window granted to him to dispute novel, anonymised, and unspecific claims is fair. Spacey is adamant that he will not sit by as the network unfairly paints him in an ill light in a bid to enhance their dwindling viewership ratings.
Every time he’s given a fair chance in a suitable forum to defend himself, the allegations have crumbled under scrutiny leading to his exoneration, Spacey reiterated.
Contradicting Spacey’s argument of insufficient time, Channel 4 insisted in a statement to Variety that “Spacey Unmasked” is set to air as planned on May 6th and 7th, and that Spacey was given an ample opportunity to comment.
The actor has taken to X to announce that he will be issuing a response to the documentary over the weekend on the same platform.
After being accused of numerous sexual offences against four intermediates from the years 2004 through to 2013, Kevin Spacey Fowler, known in the entertainment world as Kevin Spacey, was declared not guilty by a UK court. Previously, he had refuted 12 charges including seven of sexual assault, three of indecent assault, and two in which he was accused of causing certain individuals to partake in sexual actions without their agreement.
In a New York-established jury in October 2022, it was determined that Spacey did not sexually abuse actor Anthony Rapp when they were both relatively unknown actors on the Broadway scene back in the 1980s when Rapp was a minor of 14 years. Rapp had sought a compensation of $40 million in a civil lawsuit for the alleged misconduct.
The one-time protagonist of the series House of Cards was directed previously to award $31 million to Netflix after accusations emerged that he had made a habit of sexually pestering and groping males he had collaborated with throughout his film, television and stage career. An arbitrator noted that Spacey had frequently overstepped his contractual obligations by not acting in a “professional manner”, and he had infringed on anti-harassment policies.
Attempting to retrieve his career, Spacey was met with applause in his first stage presence following the UK trial at a theatre in Oxford. – Guardian