Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
A new Channel 4 documentary Spacey Unmasked unveils sexual misconduct allegations against Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey. Director Katherine Haywood’s two-part documentary series airs in the UK on May 6 and May 7. It will also premiere on Investigation Discovery and Max for the US audience.
Spacey Unmasked features interviews with ten individuals who, for the first time, recount Spacey’s alleged sexual misconduct. These incidents allegedly occurred between 1976 and 2003, per The Guardian. Variety said that these people were not a part of Spacey’s 2023 trial in the UK, when he was acquitted. Before that, in 2022, a New York jury had acquitted Spacey of sexual assault against actor Anthony Rapp. Per Rapp’s allegations, the House of Cards actor molested him in the 80s when he was only 14.
According to Variety, the testimonies from these alleged victims include incidents from Kevin Spacey’s teen years. Greg (in the docuseries) made allegations that Spacey “made a very aggressive sexual move” on him. It happened when Greg was 16 or 17. Spacey was a year senior to him in LA’s Chatsworth High School. An actor from House of Cards who featured as Daniel alleged the Oscar-winner groped him on the show’s set. A crew member from the acclaimed series, Evelyn in the documentary, claimed that he made others feel “very uncomfortable.”
Furthermore, another actor who featured under the name Scott said in his allegations that he saw Spacey masturbate next to him. The two had first met in LA’s popular nightclub, The Viper Room, in 1998. Scott said they went to the cinema to watch Saving Private Ryan the following day when the incident occurred. He said Spacey was “pleasuring himself” and even reached “over and grabs my hand and tries to get me to help out.”
These allegations against Kevin Spacey first surfaced in 2017, and he has denied the claims over the years. After the premiere of Spacey Unmasked, he claimed Channel 4 did not give him sufficient time to respond via a post on X, per USA Today. The actor accused the British Network of not giving him “sufficient details to investigate these matters,” which date “back 48 years.”
How did Kevin Spacey address allegations in the Spacey Unmasked documentary?
According to BBC, Kevin Spacey responded to allegations in the new Channel 4 documentary Spacey Unmasked. He spoke to reporter Dan Wootton, commenting on the new claims in the two-part docuseries. The 64-year-old acknowledged that his behavior may have been inappropriate at times. However, he denied doing anything illegal.
Per the outlet as well as The Guardian, Spacey told Wootton that he takes “full responsibility for my past behaviour and my actions.” However, he refuses to do that same “or apologise to anyone who’s made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me.” The actor also mentioned that he has “never told someone that if they give me sexual favours, then I will help them out with their career, ever.”
Kevin Spacey further spoke about his past hookups with “some men.” He suggested that these men believed “they might get ahead in their careers” if they had “a relationship with me.” The House of Cards emphasized that “there was no conversation with me” and that “it was all part of their plan.” He further said that their plans were “always destined to fail, because I wasn’t in on the deal.”
The Guardian stated that Spacey admitted to have “hooked up” and even flirted with other actors. He talked about having made “clumsy” approaches to men in the past who were not interested in his advances. The Oscar-winner added, “But I was not employing them, I was not their boss, I was oftentimes just swimming in for an hour here or there as a well-known actor to lend support… to answer questions.
While it “may not have been the best decision,” Spacey claimed that “it wasn’t illegal, and nor has it ever been alleged to have been illegal.” He said that “it is not one I would do today, but it happened.”
The Hindu reported that Kevin Spacey also criticized Channel 4 and called Spacey Unmasked a “one-sided documentary.” He said, “I will not sit back” while the “dying network” attacks him with its “one-sided ‘documentary’ about me.” He called the documentary a “attempt for ratings.” The actor released a statement via a lengthy X post.
Further addressing allegations, Spacey called out the network for not being an appropriate forum to handle such allegations. The actor stated, “There’s a proper channel to handle allegations against me and it’s not Channel 4. He also mentioned his previous trials when he received a “proper forum to defend myself.” He highlighted that both times these “allegations have failed under scrutiny,” resulting in his exoneration.
Kevin Spacey first stood trial in 2022 in New York when a jury acquitted him of molesting Anthony Rapp. Per The Hollywood Reporter, in 2017, Rapp accused Spacey of sexually assaulting him when he was only 14. He claimed the incident occurred in 1986 after a party. The following year, in 2023, A UK court tried Spacey on nine counts of sexual assault stemming from four separate cases. The court had found him not guilty that same year.