(London) Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, whose acting career was cut short by allegations of sexual assault, will stand trial in London this week, facing sex charges against four men at the United Kingdom.
What is he accused of?
Spacey, 63, faces a dozen charges including sexual assault, indecent assault and inciting someone to engage in penetrative sexual activity without their consent.
The actor has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts, which relate to alleged acts between 2001 and 2013.
At an earlier hearing, Spacey’s attorney said the actor “vigorously denies” the charges. He added that he would face the UK court to establish his innocence and “move on with his life”.
His jury trial at Southwark Crown Court opens on Wednesday and is expected to last four weeks.
Why is the trial taking place in the UK?
Kevin Spacey spent over a decade living in the UK, where he was artistic director of the Old Vic Theater from 2004 to 2015. He was a leading figure in London, starring in productions such as Richard III by William Shakespeare and Speed-The-Plow by David Mamet. He had also organized fundraising events for the 200-year-old theater.
Spacey was questioned by British police in 2019 over claims by several men that he assaulted them. He was charged in May 2022 with five counts against three alleged victims. Seven other charges, all brought by a fourth man, were added in November.
The artist, who has addresses in Britain and the United States, was released unconditionally pending trial.
What does his future look like?
From the 1990s, Kevin Spacey became one of the most famous actors of his generation, starring in films such as Glengarry Glen Ross And LA Confidential. He won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for The Usual Suspects in 1995 and the Oscar for best actor for the film American Beautyfrom 1999.
When allegations emerged in the US during the #metoo movement, Spacey was fired or removed from projects – including House of Cards, the Netflix political thriller where for five seasons he played lead character Frank Underwood, a power-hungry congressman who becomes president. It was also cut from the finished film All the Money in the World and scenes were redone with Christopher Plummer.
Spacey is adamant that his career isn’t over. After several years, he had made his return to the cinema in The Man Who Drew God by Italian director Franco Nero. He also played the late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman in the biopic Once Upon a Time in Croatia. He also appears in an American film which has not yet been released, Peter Five Eight.
In January, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Museum of Italian Cinema in Turin. He also taught a masterclass and presented a sold-out screening ofAmerican Beauty.
On this occasion, Spacey praised the organizers for “having forcefully defended artistic success”.
He recently told the German magazine Zeit in a rare interview that the media had turned him into a “monster”.
“There are people at the moment who are ready to hire me as soon as I am cleared of these charges in London,” he added.