Kevin Spacey may have to stick to working in Europe — as Hollywood isn’t ready to forgive or forget, multiple Tinseltown sources told Pvnew.
The “House of Cards” star said he was “humbled” after being cleared of sexually assaulting four men Wednesday following a high-profile trial in which Elton John testified in his defense.
The double Oscar winner, who was marking his 64th birthday, broke down in tears as the jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court returned not guilty verdicts on all counts.
“I know there are a lot of people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges in London,” Spacey told Germany’s ZEIT magazine earlier month. “The second that happens, they’re ready to move forward.”
“It’s not a matter of can Kevin work again, but who will work with him?” one producer told Pvnew.
Asked about Spacey’s career future, one well-placed Hollywood source told Pvnew: “Look at all these men accused of sex crimes, from Woody Allen to Roman Polanski, they’re all working in Europe.
“Woody’s even got his new movie coming up at Venice Film Festival,” said the source of famed “Annie Hall” director Allen, who has denied allegations that he molested his own daughter.
Allen will premiere his film “Coup de Chance” at Venice in September, while Polanski — who was accused of sexual assault of a minor in 1977 — will screen his movie “The Palace” at the festival as well.
“All these men get a clean bill of health in Europe, but it’s harder to come back to Hollywood.” the source added.
Two movie insiders cited Johnny Depp’s return to the big screen as an example of making it back after such a harrowing trial.
One movie insider told us: “I think Kevin will come back the Johnny Depp way in Europe – I still don’t think people would employ him in Hollywood.”
Depp last year won a multi-million dollar suit against his ex wife Amber Heard after a jury found that she had defamed him by saying that he had abused her over the course of their relationship. A UK court had previously found him guilty of beating her in a libel case the actor brought against The Sun newspaper.
Depp went on to become the toast of Cannes Film Festival in May with a seven-minute ovation for his French film “Jeanne du Barry”.
As for Spacey, he was accused of abusing his fame and power to carry out nine attacks on four men during his tenure as artistic director of London’s Old Vic theatre. But the actor insisted the claims were “madness” and accused the claimants of “lying for money.”
He is still in the midst of a $31 million lawsuit with the producers of his Netflix hit series “House of Cards.” Space was axed from the show and an arbitrator later ruled his alleged sexual misconduct amounted to a breach of contract; he was told to pay $31 million to the show producers.
Spacey lost an appeal to overturn the ruling last year, though whether or not he has paid the debt remains unclear, as he told the London court: “I have got no money coming in and I have had a lot of legal bills … and I have not paid it all off and I still owe money.”
As the initial allegations of sexual misconduct emerged, Spacey was largely shunned in Hollywood.
He was erased from Ridley Scott’s 2017 movie “All The Money In The World,” with Christopher Plummer reshooting his scenes.
Separate criminal charges in LA and Massachusetts were dropped in 2018 and 2019 respectively. In 2022, Spacey was found not liable in a civil trial in New York.
Speaking on the steps of the London court after the case, Spacey said: “I am humbled by the outcome today. I also want to thank the staff inside this courthouse, the security, my legal team and [manager] Evan Lowenstein for being here every day.’
Two of the men involved in the case are known to also be suing Spacey in civil court.
As the producer noted: “Mel Gibson was allowed back to Hollywood after his anti-semitic rants, so you never know.”
