A new doc contains fresh allegations against Kevin Spacey. Our takeaways from ‘Spacey Unmasked’
In October 2017, the same month that a New York Times investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and assault by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein set off the #MeToo movement, actor Anthony Rapp, emboldened by the outpouring of stories, publicly accused Kevin Spacey of making a sexual advance on him in 1986, when Rapp was 14 years old. Spacey swiftly responded on social media that he did not recall the incident, “But if I did behave then as he describes, [I] owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior and I am sorry for the feelings he has described carrying with him all these years.â€
Since then, the Oscar and Emmy winner, whose credits include “The Usual Suspects,†“American Beauty†and “House of Cards,†has faced allegations of sexual assault and misconduct from numerous other men and lost a $31 million judgment to “House of Cards†production company MRC for violating the company’s sexual harassment policy. (Spacey was found not liable in Rapp’s federal civil suit against him, and a London jury in July 2023 acquitted Spacey on nine criminal counts of sexual assault and indecent assault; as of Tuesday, it appears that a civil suit by one of the complainants in that case will proceed to trial.)
Now, “Spacey Unmasked,†a two-part documentary that arrives Monday on Max and Investigation Discovery after premiering on the U.K.’s Channel 4, details allegations from 10 men who were not involved in the London criminal case. Each accuser, identified (except for actor Travis Aaron Wade) only by their first names, shares his story, often in terms eerily similar to the language used at trial — describing Spacey as “soulless,†“cold,†and “inhuman†during and after the alleged assaults.
These accounts span five decades, from Spacey’s days in high school drama club to “House of Cards.†All but one have not spoken publicly about the allegations before.
Each two-hour episode is interspersed with commentary from Spacey’s brother, Randy Fowler, entertainment journalist Adam Vary, Chloe Melas, who broke the story for CNN about “House of Cards†cast and crew allegations against Spacey, and interviews with the actor throughout his career. “Spacey Unmasked†will stream on Max in the U.S. at a to-be-announced date.
At the end of the second episode, the screen reads: “Kevin Spacey said that he had been provided with insufficient time and detail to respond to the testimonies in this film. He said, ‘I have consistently denied — and now successfully defended — numerous allegations made both in the U.S. and the U.K., both criminal and civil, and each time have been able to source evidence undermining the allegations and have been believed by a jury of my peers.’†Spacey also took to X, formerly Twitter, to argue that Channel 4 did not give him sufficient time to reply to the allegations, and denied the allegations in a video interview with journalist Dan Wootton posted to YouTube. “I can’t go through this again, allowing myself to be baselessly attacked without defending myself,†Spacey said.
Below are the biggest takeaways from the documentary.
The actor fell from grace not only because of the allegations against him, but because of how he conducted himself as he fended them off.
Spacey allegedly masturbated to the storming of Normandy Beach in ‘Saving Private Ryan’
In 1998, a man named Scott was working in postproduction at Lucasfilm when he met Spacey at the Viper Room in Hollywood. “Starstruck†and “over the moon,†Scott told Spacey how he went to film school after military service in the Marine Corps and Spacey took him under his wing, asking for his headshot and résumé and saying that they could potentially work together.
Scott claims Spacey invited him to a party at a house in the Hollywood Hills and asked him to go into the home theater upstairs alone. “He asked for a hug,†Scott recounts. “I did not know he was gay.†Scott says he gave him a quick “bro hug†and that Spacey bear-gripped him and started rubbing his face into his neck and humping him. “You know I’m a Marine, right?†he said to Spacey, to which Spacey allegedly responded, “Yeah, that’s half the attraction.â€
The next day, according to the documentary, Spacey called Scott and asked to get together with the intention of retrieving Scott’s headshot and résumé. “Thank you, God,†says Scott. “He really does care about my career.†Scott alleges that the pair met on a street corner where there was a movie theater playing “Saving Private Ryan†and Spacey suggested they go see it together — and Spacey proceeded to masturbate during the first part of the film when the beaches of Normandy are being stormed. “I glance over and Kevin’s pleasuring himself [to] some of the most horrific war footage ever created,†Scott says in “Spacey Unmasked.â€
Scott also alleges that Spacey reached over to grab Scott’s hand to get him to help him masturbate, but Scott pulled away.
Men were fearful of career consequences if they said no to Spacey
Like many women in Hollywood who made accusations as part of the #MeToo movement, a common thread among accusers in the documentary was the fear of career repercussions if they went public with their allegations.
In New York City in 1999, Jesse says he was working on “The Big Kahuna,†which Spacey starred in and produced. He describes the atmosphere as everyone bowing down to Spacey and that the actor was running the show. “I’m kidnapping you and you’re going to run lines with me,†Spacey allegedly said to Jesse before taking him to his trailer.
One night in a bar bathroom, Jesse claims, Spacey “whips out his [penis] and puts his tongue in my mouth,†but was interrupted and left when someone banged on the door. Jesse told his mother about the incident, who in turn told her son to go to the National Enquirer. “I’ll never work in Hollywood again,†Jesse recalls saying to his mother.
After the “Saving Private Ryan†incident, Spacey relentlessly pursued Scott with phone calls, which he ignored. Scott finally accepted an invitation to a party and met Spacey at a hotel, where he alleges Spacey began massaging his shoulders and explaining to him “in no uncertain terms†that if he didn’t “pay the toll,†he wouldn’t have his name in lights. “There’s a humiliation that goes along with being looked at like an object,†Scott says in “Spacey Unmasked,†after which, still wearing his microphone, he walks off camera and cries.
Spacey’s inappropriate sexual behavior allegedly dated back to high school
In 1977, when Spacey attended Chatsworth High School as Kevin Fowler, he already had a stellar reputation as an actor and his sights on being a star.
But as one classmate and fellow theater buff alleges, Spacey was already capable of making unwanted physical advances: “He grabbed my genitals with intention and purpose,†the classmate says. “I was, in a sense, trapped. It was very aggressive.†Later on, he alleges, Spacey cornered him at a party and warned him not to mention what happened.
In 1981, Andy was in production with Spacey at New York’s Public Theater. “I was comfortably out of the closet, and I had a boyfriend,†he says. One day, Spacey entered the office where Andy was working behind a desk. Spacey didn’t acknowledge or talk to him, says Andy, and went to sit behind a desk used by guests. Andy says he stood up, and when Spacey stood up as well, the actor allegedly had an erection. Andy claims Spacey approached him and, “wordless, angry,†pulled him up on the desk, pushing himself into him. “I said, ‘Get off me, this is my office,’ but he persisted before I was able to push him off enough that he rolled off. It was cold in a way that was almost inhuman. I was really scared, and I never told anyone.â€
Spacey’s father was a Holocaust denier who allegedly abused and raped his brother
Randy Fowler first told the Daily Mail about his and Spacey’s father in 2017, but the story did not receive widespread attention. In “Spacey Unmasked,†Randy describes the household as “creepy, cold, violent,†but their bond as brothers as strong and playful.
Their father was a Holocaust denier and held Nazi meetings at the house, says Randy, who claims a Nazi flag hung on their father’s office wall. He had a riding crop and “used to beat the shit out of me,†Randy alleges. “I never saw my father lay a hand on my brother ever. But Kevin didn’t have a normal childhood; he just found a way to survive in an environment that was not a loving family. I think acting was a way to escape where he came from.â€
In the second episode, Randy alleges that his father raped him in 1969, and that the atmosphere of abuse permeated the home even though Kevin Spacey wasn’t himself victimized. “Just because [Spacey] wasn’t being abused, it doesn’t mean there wasn’t psychological trauma going on within him from the strange family life we had.â€
Women on the set of “House of Cards†say they could tell what was going on
Evelyn worked as a production assistant on “House of Cards†from 2012 to 2015. “I adored working on that set, but the behavior made it a hostile environment for a lot of people,†she says. She alleges that Spacey would walk up to performers and get very close, acted flirtatiously and was quite touchy; he might, for instance, put a hand on one’s arm and talk about their muscles. “He’s your boss, so if he comes up to you and wants to engage in conversation, you’re obligated to,†she says.
“The issue of Kevin was certainly well known,†she continues.
Dawn worked on “House of Cards†from 2013 to 2017, as an actor playing part of character Claire Underwood’s security detail, during the same period when Daniel, 23, was hired to play a member of Frank Underwood’s security detail. New to the industry, Daniel was excited at the opportunity. He was given a speaking part in one scene, and after he and Spacey exited the set, he alleges that Spacey touched his penis in a sexual way. “It wasn’t us playing around in the locker room or a joke,†he says. “I was inappropriately touched at work.â€
Dawn claims that she had a sense such misbehavior was happening with Daniel and others, but did not know to what extent. One day, she alleges, Daniel came running over to her saying, “Dawn, you gotta hide me, Kevin’s after me.†Afterward, she says, she called “the union†and warned them that Spacey was “a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen.†(A representative for SAG-AFTRA did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.)
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