Has Kevin Spacey been found guilty of any crimes? Doubts raised about revival of actor's Hollywood career amid verdict
LONDON, ENGLAND: Kevin Spacey who was acquitted of all nine sexual assault charges on Wednesday, July 26, told jurors during the London trial he "lost everything, in a matter of days." The 64-year-old actor has been cleared of one of the high-profile #MeToo trials in the UK.
The Oscar-winning actor sobbed at the Southwark Crown court after the jury found him not guilty of all sexual assault charges. If found guilty of assaulting the four men, Spacey faced the possibility of life in prison following the four-week trial.
Will Kevin Spacey be able to revive his Hollywood career?
Giving evidence during the trial, Spacey told jurors, "My world exploded. There was a rush to judgment 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 'Usual Suspects' actor maintained his innocence throughout the trial in which four men gave similar accounts of Spacey's sexually aggressive behavior.
Talking about whether the actor will be able to return to work as he is now acquitted of all charges, US celebrity lawyer Christopher Melcher said, "The verdict is a major victory for Spacey in clearing his name," and added, "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 brand and PR expert Mark Borkowski does not believe Spacey will be able to revive a successful career in Hollywood. "Certainly the result has put a lot of the sort of noise that's surrounded this case behind him. 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," Borkowski added, according to Sky News.
Spacey's production company paid millions to compensate for losses following allegations
Following the initial allegations of sexual misconduct, Spacey was immediately removed from Ridley Scott's film 'All The Money In The World,' with Christopher Plummer reshooting his scenes. he was also axed from the Netflix series 'House of Cards' which won him the Golden Globe award for his role Frank Underwood.
In 2022, Spacey and his production companies were required to pay $31 million to compensate for the loss due to his being axed from his roles after the accusations of sexually aggressive behavior towards the crew members. The four men accused the actor of sexually abusing them in incidents that occurred between 2001 and 2013.