Sidelined in U.S., Spacey is cast in Italian movie
Kevin Spacey has been cast in a film for what is believed to be the first time since accusations of sexual assault against the actor started surfacing more than three years ago, prompting several court cases and unraveling his on-screen career.
The film, “L’uomo Che Disegno Dio” (“The Man Who Drew God”), is an Italian feature. Vanessa Redgrave has a role, and it will be directed by her husband, Franco Nero, who rose to fame via the 1966 spaghetti Western “Django,” said co-producer Louis Nero, adding that Spacey, who plays a detective, is not a lead in the film.
TV and film producers started dropping Spacey from projects after actor Anthony Rapp in 2017 accused him of making unwanted sexual advances toward him in the 1980s, when he was 14 years old. More accusations followed, and several men have sued Spacey over their accounts of sexual assault and other misconduct. Spacey, whose lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has denied the allegations.
Spacey, 61, was excluded from the Netflix political thriller “House of Cards” and was replaced by Christopher Plummer in the Sony film “All the Money in the World,” and he played Gore Vidal in a biopic that never saw the light of day. Less than a year after the accusations, he appeared in a supporting role for a finished movie called “Billionaire Boys Club,” but he has not appeared in a television show or film since.
Louis Nero said the movie is about a blind artist, played by Franco Nero, who draws portraits of subjects by listening to their voices. The filmmakers hope to complete the project in September. Spacey has not yet filmed his role.
Asked about the sexual assault allegations, Louis Nero said, “I only know that he is a good actor — that’s it.”