Hollywood Colleagues Line Up in Support of Kevin Spacey, Recently Acquitted, Including Liam Neeson, Sharon Stone, and Others

The accusations against former producer Harvey Weinstein resulted in a series of similar cases in Hollywood, one of which was opened against two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, who was then earning praise for his work on the series House of Cards. Spacey was first accused of inappropriate behavior by actor Anthony Rapp, after which 15 other alleged victims came forward. Several cases were opened, and Spacey was tried in both the United States and the United Kingdom, but as it turned out, Spacey was cleared of all the charges made against him, which led to a series of reactions.

Namely, as you might have assumed, Kevin Spacey was blacklisted completely and his career was destroyed because of these proceedings. No one wanted to hire him and while he himself decided to withdraw from the public, the actor had vehemently denied the allegations, especially those of a criminal nature.

So, what actually happened there? Well, in the Rapp case, the younger actor sued Spacey for sexual assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress under the Child Victims Act; Rapp was 14 and Spacey 26 when the supposed incident happened, in which a seemingly drunken Spacey made sexual advances towards the boy. A federal civil court case was opened, but a jury found that Spacey did not molest Rapp and was found not liable on all counts, with Rapp subsequently being ordered by the court to pay Spacey $39,089 in damages.

In 2022, he was charged with four counts of sexual assault against three complainants in the United Kingdom; the actor said he would appear in front of the courts in the UK. Later, more charges were added, while some were dismissed, and the actor was ultimately prosecuted with four counts of sexual assault, but in 2023, the British jury also found Spacey not guilty of the charges in question.

So, the actor has been cleared of all charges by juries in two countries, and yet – he is still blacklisted. Spacey had been denying the charges against him all this time and he participated in all court proceedings. He has now been cleared of all the accusations, so many of his colleagues have been wondering – why is the actor still blacklisted?

Recently, some of Spacey’s colleagues openly spoke in defense of the actor and have asked for his return to Hollywood. Sharon Stone, while speaking to The Telegraph, defended Spacey and expressed her desire to see him back as soon as possible: “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.” The same source also quoted Liam Neeson defending the actor: “I was deeply saddened to learn of these accusations against him. Kevin is a good man and a man of character. He’s sensitive, articulate, and non-judgemental, 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.”

Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham also defended Spacey and vouched for him personally, while Stephen Fry admitted that Spacey’s behavior might have been clumsy and inappropriate but added that he should not be compared “with the likes of Harvey Weinstein.” Sir Trevor Nunn, who directed Spacey at The Old Vic on two occasions, also said it was time for the actor to be forgiven.

As you can see, the situation is quite complex, but more and more people are calling for Spacey’s return, which seems like the only fair thing to do now that the actor has been cleared of all the accusations against him.

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