Two rooms, two atmospheres. Three months after being found not guilty in London of sexually assaulting four young men who testified against him, comedian Kevin Spacey, star of House of Cards, is making a contrasting return to the spotlight.
The actor was set to make his big return to the big screen with a new film, Control, a thriller about the secret relationship between a British Home Secretary and a British Prime Minister. The premiere of this feature film by Gene Fallaize, in which Kevin Spacey plays a small role, has just been cancelled by a London cinema. The team, who discovered the actor's name in the credits, said they were "outraged" by his presence in the film, reports BFMTV.
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"Last night, we learned that your film features Kevin Spacey, and that this is his first film since his trial. My team and I are outraged that our names are appearing alongside him at this event," said Greg Lynn, director of the Prince Charles Cinema in London, where the screening was scheduled to take place.
Always adored
At the same time, Kevin Spacey is still adored in England. After this "censorship" denounced by the actor's lawyer, the screening was rescheduled in less than 24 hours in another London cinema in November.
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What's more, the actor received a long standing ovation on Monday, October 16 during a lecture at Oxford University, reports The Independent. Spacey was invited to play a few minutes of Shakespeare at an evening dedicated to "cancel culture" (the boycott of public figures accused of legal troubles, most often of sexual violence). The actor performed a few lines from Timon of Athens, after a tribute reading to Roger Scruton, a philosopher and former adviser to the British government who died in 2020. The man had been fired following accusations of racism reported by a journalist on X (ex-Twitter), then recalled after the latter admitted that he had made a mistake.
Acquitted in July
Kevin Spacey was found not guilty in July of all nine charges against him. The actor was accused of several assaults that allegedly took place between 2001 and 2013. The most serious testimony was that of a young man who accused Spacey of "drugging" him and having sex with him while he was asleep.
For his part, the 64-year-old actor has always pleaded not guilty. At the time of his acquittal, he said he was "very grateful" to the jury "who took the time to study all the evidence and facts" before making a decision.