Moment of truth: Kevin Spacey has to go to court in London today “I told Putin you can kill him”

The 63-year-old two-time Oscar winner (“American Beauty”, “The Usual Suspects”) is accused of sexual offenses against four men. The former Netflix House of Cards star has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has made it clear he sees the trial as an opportunity to clear his name. If found guilty, he could face a prison sentence.

The sex offenses he is accused of range from assault to coercion and are believed to have taken place in London and Gloucestershire between 2001 and 2013. Spacey, who was artistic director of London’s famed Old Vic theater from 2004 to 2015, is expected to begin trial at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday morning. The hearing is expected to last four weeks.

It is not the first time the actor has faced allegations of sexual misconduct in court. Last year he faced a civil lawsuit in the United States. Actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of sexually assaulting and wounding him at a party in 1986. He sought $40 million in damages. But Spacey won the case. Two other civil lawsuits in the US have been dropped.

Guilty or not, Spacey’s acting career was temporarily over when the allegations surfaced. Rapp’s allegations, first made public in 2017 during the MeToo debate, spawned many other allegations and rocked Spacey’s then-successful career. Netflix ended its collaboration on the hit series “House of Cards” and sued him for damages after complaints came about him from employees on set. The Old Vic also distanced itself from Spacey – allegations had been made there too. Scenes with him in the thriller “All The Money in the World” (All The Money In The World) were even removed later.

For a long time, Spacey was very shy of the media and opened up to the magazine “Zeit”, which in mid-June published a detailed report on several conversations with the formerly popular Hollywood star. The “Time” writer visited Spacey at his home in Baltimore, at an awards ceremony in Turin and on a film set in London where he was working on a low-budget film – one of the few roles he landed after the allegations surfaced.

Spacey reflected on his past behavior towards others. “I think I really tried my best not to be an asshole. But I think I was an asshole to a certain extent,” he told the magazine about his interactions with other people as a star. He did not comment on the allegations against him in London.

Referring to the London trial, he expressed confidence that the charges would collapse. That was the case with the Rapp lawsuit and will be the case again, Spacey was convinced. However, he will probably not be able to restore his image in the media. Still, he hopes that after an acquittal in London, orders will come from Hollywood again. In ten years, according to Spacey, this will all be forgotten. His work will outlive him, it will be remembered. (sda/dpa)