Kevin Spacey is explaining for the first time why he once flew overseas with Jeffrey Epstein and a group of “young girls” — but still denies ever being good friends with the deceased sex offender.
The “House of Cards” alum shared on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” Tuesday that he met Epstein after former President Bill Clinton invited him on an eight-day humanitarian trip to Africa in 2002.
“It was primarily to raise awareness and prevention for AIDS, and particularly for mothers who had HIV to get the medication they needed to not pass it onto their children, so I said yes, absolutely,” the actor further explained.
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Spacey said that, during the “incredible” voyage, they met with doctors and nurses to learn about how patients were being treated and even spent an entire day with Nelson Mandela.
When flight log records for Epstein’s “Lolita Express” jet confirmed Spacey had been a passenger, the “American Beauty” star first denied having close ties to the well-connected financier.
“I have since learned who he is and I have since been able to go back and find out that the airplane that we flew on for this humanitarian mission was owned by Jeffrey Epstein,” Spacey claimed to Piers Morgan.
He then further alleged, “I didn’t know him. I have never spent any time with him. I was with the Clinton Foundation people, that’s who I was with.”
Despite claiming not to “know” who Epstein was for some time, Spacey pointed out to Morgan that he did recall feeling uncomfortable around the convicted felon.
“I didn’t want to be around this guy because I felt he put the president at risk on that trip to South Africa, because there were these young girls,” the “Baby Driver” star, 64, said. “We were like, ‘Who is this guy?’”
Spacey then reiterated, “There’s a big difference between not remembering that I met some guy and some woman on a humanitarian trip where my focus was entirely on what we were there to do, and not remembering whether I went to somebody’s island.”
The “Usual Suspects” star appeared to have a tighter bond with Epstein than perhaps he actually did because he was seen acting chummy with the financier’s confidante and accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Spacey and the former British socialite, 63, were photographed laughing while sitting together on thrones at Buckingham Palace in 2002, shortly after the Africa trip.
The “LA Confidential” star told Morgan that the group ended up in England in the first place because former Prime Minister Tony Blair had invited Clinton, 77, to give a speech at a Labour Party conference.
“So, we flew then to London, and the president said to me, ‘Before we leave tomorrow, do you want to come? I am going to go to Buckingham Palace tomorrow to see Prince Andrew, do you want to come?’” Spacey explained. “I said, ‘Sure.'”
The “Casino Jack” star said that a group of 18 people ended up going to Buckingham Palace.
“This Maxwell woman, she was one of many people to sit down next to me in that throne room,” he claimed.
“I have no relationship with her. I had no relationship with [Epstein]. I mean he’s not my friend. I am not a confidant. I’ve never spent time with him.”
Spacey was also asked to comment on the sexual assault claims surrounding Prince Andrew.
However, the “Outbreak” star — who has faced his own sexual assault allegations and was just acquitted of nine criminal charges in London last year — said in response, “I don’t know anything about it.”
Spacey added, “I’m not going to talk about someone else’s scandal. My point is, that I had enough accusations of my own to deal with, I don’t need to inherit someone else’s.”
