Kevin Spacey resurfaces with strange video as sexual-assault charges loom
It’s been 14 months since Kevin Spacey retreated from the public eye after facing myriad accusations of sexual assault.
On Monday, the Oscar-winning actor reintroduced himself with an odd video amid news that he would face criminal charges in a 2016 case of alleged sexual assault.
The Boston Globe reported Monday that Spacey was scheduled for arraignment on a charge of indecent assault and battery at Nantucket District Court on Jan. 7.
The incident in question took place in July 2016 and allegedly involved the actor groping the genitals of an unwilling 18-year-old.
Spacey raised eyebrows Monday with his ill-fated return to social media for the first time since his apology to Anthony Rapp and official statement coming out as a gay man in October 2017.
On Twitter and Instagram, the “Usual Suspects” actor shared a link to a YouTube video featuring Spacey delivering a three-minute monologue in character as his former “House of Cards” protagonist, Frank Underwood.
Except Frank Underwood was killed off between Seasons 5 and 6 of the hit Netflix series after Spacey was unceremoniously dismissed after numerous accusations of sexual misconduct came to light.
In Monday’s video, titled “Let Me Be Frank,” Spacey spoke directly into the camera, as was Underwood’s wont, and bemoaned his current state of affairs.
But the line between Spacey and the character remained fuzzy, as he eviscerated those who wished to see him confess and lambasted others who rushed to judgment without facts.
“We’re not afraid, not of what we said, not of what we did and we’re still not afraid,” Spacey said, ostensibly as Underwood. “Because I promise you this: If I didn’t pay the price for the things that we both know I did do, I’m certainly not going to pay the price for the things I didn’t do.”
Social-media reactions to Spacey’s video poured in immediately and ranged from disbelief to disgust. Actress and activist Alyssa Milano registered her distaste by tweeting a link to news of Spacey’s criminal charges, adding: “And after you read this—then watch the creepy video Mr. Spacey posted after the news broke.”
Representatives for Spacey did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment. Reps for Netflix said the company had no comment.
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