Does Kevin Spacey Deserve A Comeback? Liam Neeson And Sharon Stone Believe So After ‘Spacey Unmasked’

In light of the release of the new doc Spacey Unmasked, a handful of actors are rallying around Kevin Spacey in hopes of his return to the industry.

The two-part documentary from Channel 4 delves into sexual assault allegations against Spacey, which spiraled in 2017 after Anthony Rapp claimed that Spacey made sexual advances toward him when he was only 14 and Spacey was 26. Spacey was found not liable in a civil trial. As for other accusations that followed, he was acquitted of all nine charges of sexual assault in a July 2023 trial in London. In the new documentary, ten men accuse Spacey of sexual assault, none of whom were part of the previous trials.

This week, the actor was backed by statements shared with The Telegraph from F. Murray Abraham, Liam Neeson, Stephen Fry, and Sharon Stone, the last of whom said she “can’t wait  to see Kevin back at work.”

“He is a genius,” Stone added. “He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will.”

She also deemed it “terrible that they are blaming him for not being able to come to terms with themselves for using him and negotiating with themselves because they didn’t get their secret agendas.”

As for Neeson, the Taken star told the outlet that he “was deeply saddened to learn of these accusations against” Spacey.

“Kevin is a good man and a man of character,” he continued. “He’s sensitive, articulate and non-judgmental, with a terrific sense of humor. He is also one of our finest artists in the theatre and on camera. Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly.”

Abraham claimed he “vouch[es] for [Spacey] unequivocally,” and asked, “Who are these vultures who attack a man who has publicly accepted his responsibility for certain behavior, unlike so many others?”

“He is a fine man, I stand with him, and let he who is without sin cast the first stone,” he added.

While Fry conceded that Spacey had been “both ‘clumsy’ and ‘inappropriate’ on many occasions,” he called out the documentary for “bracket[ing] him with the likes of Harvey Weinstein” and “continu[ing] to harass and hound him, to devote a whole documentary to accusations that simply do not add up to crimes,” and asked how that can be “considered proportionate and justified.”

“Surely it is wrong to continue to batter a reputation on the strength of assertion and rhetoric rather than evidence and proof?” he noted. ““Unless I’m missing something I think he has paid the price.”

In an interview with Chris Cuomo for NewsNation’s CUOMO on Thursday (May 16), which marked Spacey’s first television appearance in several years, Spacey thanked his supporters.

“I’m enormously gratified that friends of mine who I reached out to and who I’ve been speaking to for years and years and years now have, I think, been motivated by this documentary that was put out, and feel very strongly that whatever mistakes I’ve made in my life, whatever choices I made, that weren’t the best, that I paid a price, it’s, it’s been seven years,” he shared.

Spacey Unmasked is streaming on Max.

If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.