Kevin Spacey argued he was ‘cancelled’ – can he now revive his Hollywood career?

Published

10 months ago

July 26, 2023

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“My world exploded,” Kevin Spacey told jurors as he gave evidence during his sexual assault trial. “There was a rush to judgement and before the first question was asked or answered I lost my job, I lost my reputation – I lost everything, in a matter of days.”

The Hollywood star fought back tears as he sat in the witness box at Southwark Crown Court in London, describing how initial allegations in the US in October 2017 – which were followed by those here in the UK, leading to the London court case – created a domino effect of claims, ruining his Oscar-winning career.

Jurors had to decide whether he was telling the truth, or if this was simply another performance.

Kevin Spacey trial – Hollywood star cleared on all counts

As the initial allegations emerged, Spacey was largely shunned in Hollywood; quickly erased from Ridley Scott’s All The Money In The World, released in December 2017 – with Christopher Plummer reshooting his scenes as billionaire John Paul Getty – and axed from his Golden Globe-winning role as scheming politician Frank Underwood in the Netflix political drama series House Of Cards.

Last year, the star and his production companies were ordered to pay $31m (about £24m) to make up for losses incurred due to his sacking, following “explosive” allegations of sexual misconduct against crew members.

But separate criminal charges in LA and Massachusetts had been dropped in 2018 and 2019 respectively. In 2022, Spacey was found not liable in a civil trial in New York.

Now, jurors here in the UK have cleared him of any criminal charges in relation to allegations by four men, who claimed the star sexually assaulted them in incidents that allegedly happened between 2001 and 2013.

The court was told that allegations by one man were “madness”, and that Spacey had consensual sexual encounters with two others. He conceded to making a “clumsy pass” at a fourth man, but said the incident was no more than this.

‘Easy for accusers to lie’ about ‘promiscuous’ Spacey, court told

Jurors were told by the star of his determination to prove his innocence, doggedly digging through old records, boxes of photos and any evidence that could disprove the claims. And his barrister, Patrick Gibbs KC, told them the star had been “cancelled” and “tried by social media”.

It was “easy” to lie about Spacey, Mr Gibbs said: “A man who is promiscuous, not publicly out, although everyone in the businesses knows he’s gay, who wants to be just a normal guy, or at least some of the time he does – to drink beer and laugh and smoke weed and sit in the front and spend time with younger people who he’s attracted to…

“It’s not my life, it’s not your life, perhaps it’s a bit of an odd life, but it’s a life that makes you an easy target when the internet turns against you and you’re tried by social media.”

‘Does this verdict allow Kevin Spacey to be Kevin Spacey?’

Now, Spacey has been found not guilty. Does this mean he can revive his career?

“The verdict is a major victory for Spacey in clearing his name,” said US celebrity lawyer Christopher Melcher. “Although he faced four accusers who told similar accounts of sexually aggressive behaviour, Spacey steadfastly maintained his innocence.

“The verdict supports Spacey’s denials of the accusations and provides a clear path for him to return to work as an actor. Producers are able to work with Spacey because he has been acquitted, which lessens their exposure if he is hired.”

However, celebrity PR and brand expert Mark Borkowski is not so sure.

“Certainly the result has put a lot of the sort of noise that’s surrounded this case behind him,” he said. “The question is, does this verdict allow Kevin Spacey to be Kevin Spacey? To be that iconic actor who has oodles of talent to regain his position as one of the A-listers of Hollywood?

“Sadly not. We live in a corporate world now and raising money, getting insurance, all those other factors exist on social media, where mainstream media has not got the same power.”

Before the court case, in an interview, Spacey said there were directors and producers “ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges in London”.

Despite that happening, many filmmakers might still be wary of working with Spacey knowing any project could still be “dogged by negativity”, Mr Borkowski said.

“Kevin Spacey, if he wants to move forward, will be clinging to the hope that there is a radical independent filmmaker who is fearless, who has a wonderful script and a remarkable project with a number of actors who are willing to work on the project.

“And if it gets picked up on the independent movie circuit, you know where there are, how shall we say, countries like Italy, France, around the world that don’t have the same perceptions as an American or a British audience or a German audience might have on this, there could be people who think, oh, that’s been a commercial success, let’s think about the next project.

“But it won’t be a franchise movie, it will not be Disney or Marvel coming forward to take that on. It just is something that they would feel that is too dangerous in terms of negative publicity for their brand and some of the values that they project.”

The stories about Sir Elton John and Dame Judi Dench

During the trial, Sir Elton John – who was chairman of The Old Vic when Spacey was appointed – was called to give evidence, and the court also heard tales of Spacey teaching Dame Judi Dench to play ping pong; there was no avoiding the strange and surreal world of celebrity at the centre of the case.

The timings of the UK claims mostly coincided with the actor’s time working at the theatre. He was involved from 2001, and began his tenure as artistic director from 2003 to 2015. Signing him had been quite the coup, a chance to turn the venue’s fortunes around.

Alistair Smith, editor of entertainment newspaper The Stage, interviewed Spacey towards the beginning of his tenure at the theatre, after he arrived as “a sort of Old Vic saviour figure” after a period in which it struggled financially.

“Previously, there was a real threat to its future,” says Smith. “There was talk of it turning into a bingo hall or even a lap dancing club… [Spacey] coming in brought a lot more attention to it, it brought funding, it brought sponsors, and attention in the media. And so there was, when he joined, quite a lot of excitement about it.”

Spacey’s arrival was seen as a chance to revive an important theatrical institution, and people in the industry were excited to have a Hollywood star committing to London theatre.

Things didn’t start well, but improved as Spacey performed more himself. By the time he left, the Old Vic “was financially secure and had rebuilt its artistic reputation”. For a period, he had re-established the venue as one of London’s leading theatres.

Whatever the verdict, there were accounts of ‘inappropriate conduct in the workplace’

But in November 2017, shortly after the allegations came out in the US, the Old Vic said it had received 20 allegations of inappropriate behaviour made against Spacey. Only one of the claims was reported, an investigation found, but staff were “unclear about how to respond”.

In the wake of the scandal, the theatre implemented a “Guardians” programme, designed to allow employees a confidential means of sharing concerns about behaviour at work.

Despite the star now being cleared of criminal charges in the UK, the fallout from the accusations against him has still had a “massively damaging effect” on the venue’s reputation, Smith says.

“Even before this court case, this trial, the 20 allegations against Kevin Spacey that came out of the Old Vic’s own investigation in 2017, I think had raised some very serious questions about the Old Vic and how it handled having a star at its helm over that period.”

Paul Fleming, general secretary of actors’ union Equity, says that despite the verdict, “nobody who is poorly treated in a workplace should ever be put in the position of having to bring something to a criminal trial”.

He told Sky News: “There should be processes in a workplace to keep them healthy and safe. And that duty rests with the employer. I’m not convinced, six years on, that theatre producers, TV producers, film producers, have put in place robust enough systems to prevent allegations like this arising significantly after the event.”

Mr Fleming said that there has been movement since the rise of #MeToo, but not enough. “There is no doubt that there are a series of accounts of inappropriate conduct in the workplace,” he said. “Whether they’re criminal or not has been a matter for the courts. The fact of the matter is there’s a lot of behaviour that is inappropriate, that is unsafe in the workplace, that there should be processes in place to allow people to resolve them.”

For Spacey, these claims have overshadowed his once glittering acting career for six years – but all criminal charges are now behind him. After telling the court how he lost his work and his fortune, it’s likely the star will be hoping this verdict can finally signal his Hollywood return.

Entertainment

Sarah Harding breast cancer research project is successfully identifying at-risk young women

Published

1 hour ago

May 19, 2024

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Sarah Harding breast cancer research project is successfully identifying at-risk young women

A groundbreaking breast cancer research project launched in memory of the late Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding is already successfully identifying young women at increased risk of getting the disease.

The BCAN-RAY (Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in Young Women) was launched a year ago in the singer’s name after she died from the disease in 2021 at the age of 39.

While she was having treatment, the star said she was “really keen” for more research into why young women are being diagnosed without a family history of the disease.

One of the singer’s final hopes was to find ways of spotting the disease early when it’s easier to treat.

The BCAN-RAY is one of the only projects in the world trying to identify which women in their 30s are most at risk.

About 2,300 women under 40 are diagnosed with the disease each year in the UK, according to Breast Cancer Now.

The two-year study is using money from Cancer Research UK, the Christie Charity, and the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal – backed by her family and former bandmates.

It looks at risk factors most commonly found in young women with the disease and will form a model to identify them in future.

Anna Housley, 39, from Hale, Greater Manchester, is one of the women taking part in the trial. After being tested last year the mother of two was surprised to find she’s at increased risk.

With no history of the disease in her family, she told Sky News: “I’m really grateful that I have been found because now I know that I’m going to be looked after and I can be screened.”

Speaking about the work of Harding, she said: “All I can say really is thanks to her for being such a brave advocate to young women.”

The new information means she’s now eligible for annual mammograms and medication should she want it.

It’s hoped all women will eventually be able to have a risk assessment when they reach 30.

A thousand women in the Greater Manchester area will take part, including 250 with breast cancer who don’t have a family history of the disease.

Saliva samples will hopefully help experts identify certain types and patterns of genes that could raise a woman’s risk.

These will be considered with factors such as period timing, breast tissue density, alcohol consumption and use of the pill.

Harding’s consultant Dr Sacha Howell from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, who is leading the study, said of the singer: “I think she’d be absolutely thrilled that she was part of this and her legacy is that we will be helping more and more young women like her.

“But what we’re all hoping is that by detecting those cancers earlier, they won’t unfortunately have that end result that Sarah did, which was to pass away with the disease.”

Harding’s legacy won’t just be her successful music career, it will also be her work in raising awareness around breast cancer and potentially giving many more women in their 30s a future.

Entertainment

Is buying vinyl bad for the planet – and what can be done about it?

Published

7 hours ago

May 19, 2024

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Is buying vinyl bad for the planet - and what can be done about it?

Taylor Swift’s new album helped fuel the highest weekly vinyl sales in 30 years – but is our rediscovered love of owning records environmentally reckless?

PVC (poly vinyl chloride), the plastic from which records have traditionally been made, isn’t great for the planet, and concerns have also been raised over packaging as vinyl sales have risedn in recent years.

Rou Reynolds, frontman of chart-topping rock band Enter Shikari, believes leading artists need to shoulder some responsibility to “push forward” change.

“The bigger you are as an artist, the more influence you have, the more you can push things forward and accelerate progression,” he says.

In an interview with Billboard in March, Billie Eilish criticised how “wasteful it is” when “some of the biggest artists in the world” make “40 different vinyl packages”, each with “a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more”.

“Its reasonable criticism,” says Reynolds, “but I think it’ll basically dissipate as soon as it becomes the standard to use BioVinyl, for instance – that will really take away the possibility of criticism”.

Rather than make records out of regular PVC pellets, over the last few years it has become possible to use renewable sources such as cooking oil or wood pulp.

“Traditional vinyl is an oil-based product,” Reynolds explains. “No one really wants to support the extraction of any more fossil fuels.”

Enter Shikari now insist all their records are made using BioVinyl, and Reynolds is optimistic that if more artists make demands about what their records are made from, it would become the new norm.

“A lot of independent artists, like myself, we can light these fires, then it spreads and before you know it, it will become the industry standard.”

‘The advances are incredible’

Leading voices within vinyl production want the music industry to listen.

“Along with the Vinyl Alliance and the Vinyl Records Manufacturers Association, we’re looking at the whole manufacturing chain,” says Karen Emanuel, chief executive of Key Production, the UK’s largest broker for physical music production.

“I’ve been in the business probably about 35 years and the advances that have been made, it’s incredible. A lot of the big plastics companies, for PVC they’ve found a way replacing the fossil fuel elements [which] could mean as much as a 90% reduction in the carbon footprint of the vinyl.”

The catch, at the moment, is the cost.

“It’s a bit more expensive to manufacture but if enough people manufacture with it then the price point will come down… it’s something that we’re really trying to push people towards.”

Would fans be happy to pay more for a greener product?

Lee Jefferies, the owner of Leicestershire-based vinyl pressing plant Sonic Wax Pressing, is such a big vinyl lover, he spent £100,000 buying the world’s most valuable Motown record.

“Ultimately everything works from retail back,” he says “And with retail prices already being quite high on vinyl it’s very hard for people to have the extra money to buy biodegradable vinyl.”

But a recent survey conducted by Key Production found more than two thirds (69%) of vinyl buyers indicated they would be encouraged to buy more if the records were made with a reduced environmental impact.

The findings also revealed that the vast majority, 77%, of regular vinyl customers are willing to pay a premium for reduced impact products, signalling a significant market demand for eco-friendly alternatives.

Is there a bigger problem?

Ultimately, either the consumer, artists or labels will have to shoulder the cost if vinyl is to be made more sustainably.

But while a big old hunk of PVC might feel like the least green option, are we getting ourselves in a spin when we should also be looking in another direction?

Figures from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) put global vinyl sales for last year at about 80 million – using the IMPALA indepdent music companies association’s music emissions calculator, that works out at producing around 156k tonnes of CO2 emissions.

If you compare that to streaming, with Spotify alone – responsible for about a third of the market – its own estimates for its global carbon emissions were 280k tonnes last year, with vast amounts of electricity being used to power its data storage servers.

For Enter Shikari’s Reynolds, the potential to make vinyl greener is exciting.

“It has the same quality, the same appearance, you really wouldn’t notice the difference, which is incredible,” he says. “I think it speaks to, you know, a lot of the time people think that the transition society is about to go through, we think we’re going to lose luxuries… but I think this is just an example of why that’s not the case.

“You know, all it takes is some thought and some adaptation, and then some adoption… it’s super exciting.”

Perhaps now it’s time for the music industry to take note.

Entertainment

Dabney Coleman, actor who starred in Boardwalk Empire and 9 to 5, dies

Published

21 hours ago

May 18, 2024

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Dabney Coleman, actor who starred in Boardwalk Empire and 9 to 5, dies

Lily Tomlin, Morgan Fairchild and Ben Stiller have led tributes to “one-of-a-kind” actor Dabney Coleman following his death aged 92.

Coleman made his career playing comedic villains, mean-spirited bosses and villains in films including 9 to 5 and Tootsie, as well as playing Commodore Louis Kaestner in Boardwalk Empire.

Lily Tomlin, who starred alongside him in 9 To 5 with Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton, said: “We just loved him.”

In her post to X, the actress shared a photo of her character Violet Newstead dressed in a Snow White costume beside a tense-looking Coleman as her egotistical boss Franklin Hart Jr.

Morgan Fairchild, who starred in Falcon Crest and Friends, described Coleman as a “great one”.

“So very sorry to hear of the death of the wonderful #DabneyColeman”, she wrote on X alongside a black and white photo of them together.

“We went out for a bit in the ’80s and I adored him. This town has lost one of a kind!”

Coleman “took his last earthly breath peacefully and exquisitely” in his Santa Monica home on Thursday, his daughter said in a statement on Friday on behalf of the family.

“My father crafted his time here on Earth with a curious mind, a generous heart and a soul on fire with passion, desire and humour that tickled the funny bone of humanity”, she said.

“As he lived, he moved through this final act of his life with elegance, excellence and mastery.”

Ben Stiller, Zoolander and Meet The Parents actor, praised Coleman for paving the way for character actors.

“The great Dabney Coleman literally created, or defined, really – in a uniquely singular way – an archetype as a character actor.

“He was so good at what he did it’s hard to imagine movies and television of the last 40 years without him.”

Coleman starred in a number of films and TV series in the 1960s, then made his breakthrough as a corrupt mayor in the satirical soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, in 1976.

His film credits include a computer scientist in WarGames, Tom Hanks’ father in You’ve Got Mail and a chief firefighter in The Towering Inferno.

He won a best actor Golden Globe for The Slap Maxwell Story and an Emmy for best supporting actor in Peter Levin’s 1987 legal drama Sworn To Silence.

Coleman also won two Screen Actors Guild Awards as part of the cast of crime drama Boardwalk Empire and received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his starring role in the NBC sitcom Buffalo Bill.