Kevin Spacey accused of delaying Usual Suspects filming with ‘sexually inappropriate behaviour’
NEW YORK – APRIL 19: (L-R) Actors Kevin Spacey and Gabriel Byrne attend a benefit evening for London’s famed Old Vic Theatre at Planet Hollywood on April 19, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images)
Kevin Spacey has been accused by a co-star of delaying the filming of The Usual Suspects through “sexually inappropriate behaviour”.
Actor Gabriel Byrne has accused Spacey of halting the filming of the hit for two days, suddenly, and because of advances he allegedly made towards a young actor.
Byrne described Spacey’s actions as “sexually inappropriate behavior towards a younger actor.”
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Speaking to the Times, Byrne added: “I did not know honestly then the extent of his violence.
“I mean, he was kind of a joke in that people would say, ‘That’s Kevin,’ but nobody really understood the depth of his predations. It was only years later that we began to understand.”
The film’s director Bryan Singer, who has himself been accused of sexual misconduct, dismissed the claims by Byrne, saying they were “not at all” true.
But Byrne’s allegation comes amid a string of similar claims against Spacey spanning back years and involving fellow actors, theatre workers and a member of the Norwegian royal family.
Spacey was earlier this week accused of sexually assaulting a member of Norway’s royal family.
The Princess of Norway’s former husband has claimed Spacey groped him when they met during a Nobel Peace Prize party ten years ago.
Ari Behn, who was married to Norway’s Princess Martha Louise until last year, claims the disgraced actor sexually propositioned him.
Spacey was hosting the Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo alongside Uma Thurman at the time.
“We had a nice conversation, he was sat next to me,” Mr Behn told Norwegian radio station P4.
“After five minutes, he says ‘Hey, let’s go out and have a cigarette’, and then he touched me right on the balls under the table.”
Behn said he was so put out all he could say was “eh, maybe later”.
“I was black in my hair at that time, ten years younger and right up his alley,” he joked.
The royal couple divorced last year after 14 years of marriage.
Spacey has been accused of sexual assault by more than a dozen men and has since been axed from Netflix drama House of Cards.
More than 20 accusations of sexual assault relate to his role at The Old Vic theatre in London.
The theatre said it had 20 personal testimonies of inappropriate behaviour committed by the Hollywood star while he was artistic director at the theatre.
Spacey has been accused of multiple incidents of inappropriate sexual behaviour since Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp said last month that he made sexual advances on him when Rapp was 14.
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The Old Vic said a “cult of personality” existed around Spacey during his nine years as director, adding that his status had stopped people – especially junior staff and actors – from coming forward, according to The Guardian.
It opened the investigation following a stream of allegations against the actor, including testimony from Mexican actor Rob Cavazos, who worked with Spacey at the Old Vic.
Cavazos alleged that Spacey approached him in “unpleasant encounters” which he said he would have termed “harassment” if he were a woman.
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He said the American Beauty actor was commonly found at the theatre bar, “squeezing whoever caught his attention.”
Cavazos – who has been in Rush and Doctor Who – said at the time: “There are many of us who have a ‘Kevin Spacey story’.
“It seems that it only took a male under 30 to make Mr Spacey feel free to touch us.
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“It was so common that it even became a local joke (in very bad taste).”
In a statement, the Old Vic said: “Despite having the appropriate escalation processes in place, it was claimed that those affected felt unable to raise concerns and that Kevin Spacey operated without sufficient accountability.
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“This is clearly unacceptable and the Old Vic truly apologises for not creating an environment or culture where people felt able to speak freely.”
The investigation showed that in all but one case, people who accused Spacey had not made a formal complaint.
Every incident in the report is alleged to have taken place before 2009, apart from two.
The theatre added that “no legal claims, formal grievances, formal disputes, settlement agreements or payments made or authorised were made at all in relation to Kevin Spacey during his tenure”.
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The Old Vic’s current artistic director, Matthew Warchus, said: ‘I have genuine and deep sympathy for all those who have come forward and said they were hurt in some way by my predecessor’s actions.
Eight people claimed that Spacey had sexually harassed House of Cards employees during his time on the set, including one who he allegedly sexually assaulted.
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In response, Netflix severed all ties with Spacey, sacking him from House of Cards in the process.
British police are currently investigating an allegation of sexual assault made against Spacey.
An alleged victim claimed that after being invited to Spacey’s London home for a drink in 2008, he passed out – and woke to find the star performing oral sex on him.
This was not the only allegation to be made after Rapp’s story was made public.
