No word from Spacey after film replacement: Scott

LOS ANGELES — Director Ridley Scott says he hasn’t heard from Kevin Spacey since the decision was made to cut the actor from All the Money in the World.

“I don’t know where he is,” Scott said in a recent interview. “He’s gone down underground.”

All the Money in the World is about the kidnapping of the teenage grandson of wealthy American industrialist J. Paul Getty. The film was completed in October, with Spacey cast as Getty. After sexual-misconduct allegations were made against the actor, Spacey was cut from the movie. Christopher Plummer stepped into the role. Reshoots began almost immediately.

While promoting the movie, Scott said “it would have been nice to have some kind of call, even if it was from [Spacey’s] representative.” Now, he said, “It’s just too late.” Plummer agreed — “I was very anxious to work with Ridley anyway,” he said. “I took the script home. The next morning, I called, said: ‘Yes. Absolutely. Let’s go.’ ”

To get the movie ready for its Monday release date, Scott had to raise additional funds and rearrange cast and crew members for reshoots.

After that, Scott recalls spending the next 36 hours on the phone figuring out the logistics needed to get the reshoots done. Scott said Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg, the other stars of the film, responded quickly.

“They were all ready. Michelle said: ‘I’ll do it.’ She might have been in the middle of a film,’ ” Scott said. “Mark was needed for a day and a half.”

The entire reshoot took nine days.

Part of the rush to finish the film was self-imposed: Danny Boyle’s FX series Trust, also about the Getty kidnapping, debuts next month, so Scott felt the original release date had to be met.

Plummer credits Scott’s sense of humour with getting everyone through the mad dash. “He has a delicious sense of humour and that’s what kept me — gave me such confidence and calmed everything down on the set. It was wonderful,” Plummer said.

Plummer also showed he could poke fun at the situation. During promotional interviews for the movie, he brought a cake that depicted him playing all the roles behind the camera.

Plummer’s version of Getty will be the only one anyone ever sees. At the film’s première Monday, Ridley said he wouldn’t release a director’s cut with Spacey’s work. “Over my dead body,” Scott said. “I don’t think that would be very graceful.”