Kevin Spacey Lands Support In Sexual Assault Trial From Elton John
The world blew up for Kevin Spacey in 2017. A flurry of sexual assault and misconduct allegations ended one of the most prestigious careers in Hollywood overnight, and the actor continues to fight those allegations in court. As covered by Vulture, Elton John and David Furnish were called to Spacey’s trial in London to corroborate Spacey’s alibi against one of his four accusers.
Kevin Spacey received a massive boost in his sexual assualt trial from Elton John, and his husband, David Furnish, after the two refuted the accuser’s timeline of events.
Kevin Spacey allegedly touched his driver inappropriately on the way to Elton John and David Furnish’s annual White Tie and Tiara ball in either 2004 or 2005. The advance was said to be so aggressive that the driver nearly ran the car off the road.
Elton John testified that Kevin Spacey only ever attended the ball in 2001, recalling that the actor “arrived in white-tie. He came on a private jet and he came straight to the ball.”
John’s husband, David Furnish, elaborated with his own testimony, explaining that the ball is a charity event with press photographing the celebrities who attend. If Kevin Spacey had attended the high-profile party held by Elton John, there would be readily available photographic evidence.
Now in its fourth week, the latest Kevin Spacey trial has been a dramatic one, and the appearance of Elton John only raises its profile. Spacey faces seven counts of sexual assault and three counts of incident-assault in England, to all of which he has pleaded not guilty.
Kevin Spacey’s U.K. trial has been going on for weeks, including the actor taking the stand in his defense against 10 charges of assualt.
Shortly after the allegations against Kevin Spacey began pouring in, the actor came out as homosexual. He does not deny sexual encounters with his accusers but claims that all of the alleged incidents of assault were consensual. Though Elton John appeared to help clarify hard facts around the case, public support for Spacey has been scarce over the past few years.
Spacey became emotional during his time on the stand, recounting how the world’s leap to conclusions about him without evidence or full context led to him losing everything in a heartbreaking instant.
He criticized the claims made against him, saying his accusers are just upset that they were intimate with him. Counter to the tearful display, Spacey’s accusers reiterate that the actor is a slippery, untrustworthy man.
Ironically, playing slimy, manipulative characters is what made Kevin Spacey famous. The 1990s made Spacey a celebrity worthy of an Elton John party; the actor turned in hits like The Usual Suspects, Se7en, L.A. Confidential, and American Beauty.
The 2000s saw him take on Superman as Lex Luthor in Superman Returns, and in 2013, Spacey led the first Netflix original series House of Cards. It is interesting to consider whether or not the morally bankrupt characters Spacey is associated with have any bearing on the public’s perception of him now.
Another sexual assualt case in the U.S. was won by Kevin Spacey in 2019, and already, the star is thinking of a Hollywood comeback.
Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver was the last Kevin Spacey film to release before the actor’s fall from grace. Party invitations from Elton John and offers from filmmakers all but stopped there, with 2018’s Billionaire Boys Club (filmed prior to the allegations) and the Italian film The Man Who Drew God being the only movies he has appeared in since.
Kevin Spacey won the sexual assault case against him in the U.S. in 2019, and now faces charges in the U.K. that point to two decades of incidents. Even if testimonies like that of Elton John help Spacey once again evade conviction, the odds of a career comeback seem slim at this point.
Once considered one of the greatest actors in the business, Kevin Spacey’s achievements are forever tarnished by the parade of accusations made against him, and his bizarre responses to those allegations over the years. Spacey’s trial will continue to shed light on the situation, but the court of public opinion may have already given Spacey a life sentence.
