We warn you: the text discusses sexual violence and harassment.
almost a year ago, he was acquitted in a court in London, where he faced accusations of sexual assault and forcing him to perform sexual acts. Four men testified against the actor, against whom he allegedly committed abuse in the years 2001-2013. Spacey was acquitted, but now new cases can be expected. All because of . Ten men who had not previously testified in court about the actor spoke in “Spacey: Without the Mask”. They say they suffered sexual violence from him, which they are no longer afraid to talk about.
“Spacey: Unmasked” on HBO Max. Men say what Kevin Spacey did to them
“I felt a touch below my fly. It wasn’t a male joke in the locker room, it was sexual violence”, “He added that if I put in the effort sexually, I could have a decent career”, “He leaned against the door and locked it. I didn’t want to do it” , “I felt like I was being electrocuted when he put his hand down my pants. I felt like a piece of meat” – there are a lot of such stories told by ten men in the two-hour documentary “Spacey: Without the Mask”. What emerges is the image of Kevin Spacey as a sexual predator who unscrupulously uses his power to catch new victims, most often handsome young men, not necessarily of non-heterosexual orientation.
Kevin Spacey has been committing abuse for decades. The creators of the documentary even reached his friend from drama school, who confirms that the actor molested him in a car long before he became famous. Each of them, regardless of whether they met Spacey in New York, London, in the theater, on the set of a movie or on the set of a TV series, repeats the same story regardless of the others. All these people are younger than him. Some were convinced that without sexual services for him, they would not receive the protection offered by an “Oscar-winning actor”. It didn’t matter whether they worked directly with him, like one of the actors from the set of “House of Cards”, or at a considerable distance from his directorial position (like a ticket seller at The Old Vic theater in London). Regardless of the refusals, Spacey was said to have continued his pursuit of sexual domination over the other, younger and dependent man. According to “Spacey: Without a Mask”, he chose both those who were muscular, had graduated from the army (“I was in the Navy, I was looking for a new job and I loved movies,” says one of them) and those who were at the very beginning of their acting career. .
They all have the same thing in common: a nagging fear that if they react too violently or refuse the actor, they will destroy their dream career. Some people tried to find their way in this situation and get something for themselves, but this type of patronage never brought them any profits. Some paid for the actor’s touch with depression and their own problems. Some people said outright that speaking out about what happened to them when it happened was not an option. “I won’t find a job in film again. I realized that this is Hollywood”, “He had enormous power and that’s why I knew I had to remain silent”, “He’s a very influential guy, he was recently my teacher. It’s hard to say no to such a man.”
Kevin Spacey Photo REUTERS/Susannah Ireland
#MeToo for men?
The documentary on HBO Max appeared almost a year after the end of the London trial, in which Kevin Spacey was acquitted of the charges publicly brought against him. The men appearing in the production agree that this verdict was an additional blow to them. “I’m just afraid that these verdicts may embolden him, that he may continue to act like this. It’s not the government that corrupted him. He is like that,” says one of the victims. Some were effectively silenced by the court. Those who had the courage to appear in the documentary say they no longer want to run – they have nothing to gain by telling what Kevin Spacey did to them. With their confessions, they want to make the predator stop attacking the weaker.
They also break the cruel taboo for men, according to which they must always be strong. The moment when the violence occurred was a surprise to them, but their first instinct was not to react with force. They reacted in exactly the same way as women who talk about sexual violence more often react. “It froze me.” “I thought if I told anyone, no one would believe me.” “I was filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt. I felt it was my fault, I was disgusted with myself.” “You feel ashamed. You feel like you asked for it,” they say in one voice. Sounds familiar? It was the same way #MeToo started a few years ago, when the disgusting actions of Harvey Weinstein came to light.
What does Kevin Spacey say about this?
At the end of each episode, there is a version of events presented by the actor himself. Kevin Spacey provided the production with a statement in which he stated that he had not been given the opportunity to read all the material from the documentary. He also refers to verdicts in Great Britain and the United States that acquitted him. In another statement, sent to The Washington Post after the documentary’s premiere, he referred to a recent interview with Dan Wootton, in which Spacey says he takes full responsibility for his past. But…
I take full responsibility for my behavior and actions in the past. But I cannot and do not intend to respond or apologize to anyone for what someone made up or exaggerated about me, he said at the beginning of May.
Kevin Spacey Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock/Rex Features/East News
An abusive home, acting as an escape
The documentary also shows a unique look at what the actor’s childhood was like. Kevin Spacey grew up in an abusive home. His older brother was raped by his father, a Nazi and military fanatic. The creators of the documentary talked to the injured man, who talked about his childhood with Kevin, about chasing the kid on the streets, and finally about him leaving home. “We were a sick family,” says Randy Fowler, Spacey’s older brother, adding hopefully that their mother probably protected her younger son from his molesting and raping father. The actor’s confessions of victims are interwoven with statements from himself, where he assures that in the workplace he wants everyone to feel safe, that everyone is a big family, and that the pinnacle of acting gives him the opportunity to help younger and aspiring people.
At the same time, it was on the set of “House of Cards” that the producers specifically created the assistant team of women because Kevin Spacey did not molest them. Several dozen people associated with the production of the Netflix hit anonymously confirmed that there were numerous abuses on his part on the set. “Everyone knew,” comes the symbolic phrase.
You can expect that Kevin Spacey will now launch his own guns against men who dared to tell the cameras what happened to them because of him. Perhaps the broadcast of the documentary will mean new cases against the actor. It is certain that this is not the end of Spacey’s problems, as he will appear in a British court again in 2025 – this time due to the sexual attack he allegedly committed in 2008.
Sexual violence is any unwanted sexual contact. According to UNICEF data, approximately 15 million teenagers between 15 and 19 years of age have experienced this type of violence around the world, but only 1 percent of teenagers seek help from a professional. Research shows that 80 percent Rape victims develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Remember, if you or someone close to you has been a victim of sexual violence, you can get help by calling the National Hotline for Victims of Domestic Violence “Blue Line” – 801 120 002 or call 112.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
