The logo for the Daily Beast's Obsessed website. It reads: 'Obsessed: What to Watch, Binge, See, & Skip'
DAILY BEAST
CrosswordNewsletters
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Obsessed
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Clothing
      • Technology
      • Beauty
      • Home
      • Pets
      • Kitchen
      • Fitness
      • I'm Looking For
      BEST PICKS
      • Best VPNs
      • Best Gaming PCs
      • Best Air Fryers
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      HOMEPAGE
      Coronavirus

      Kevin Spacey Compares His #MeToo Downfall to the Coronavirus

      ‘IF I CAN’T ACT, WHO AM I?’

      “I feel as though I can relate to what it feels like to have your world suddenly stop,” the actor said in a recent speech.

      Matt Wilstein

      Senior Editor

      Updated May. 06, 2020 4:42PM ET / Published May. 06, 2020 1:46PM ET 

      The last two times Kevin Spacey appeared on camera from home, he was delivering bizarre Christmas messages in character as Frank Underwood from House of Cards. This time, he’s dropped the act.

      In a 10-minute video that was posted to YouTube just over a month ago but has resurfaced this week on The Wrap, the disgraced Oscar-winning actor actually compares his banishment from Hollywood over multiple sexual-assault allegations to the plight of the millions who have lost work due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

      Speaking from home to a German business conference called Bits & Pretzels, Spacey delivered a quick joke about his Oktoberfest-inspired get-up before turning to the more “serious” matter of “what it feels like to suddenly find yourself in a situation you could not possibly have prepared for or anticipating was coming.” 

      “I don’t think it will come as a surprise for anyone that my world completely changed in the fall of 2017,” Spacey said. “My job, many of my relationships, my standing in my own industry were all gone in just a matter of hours.” He explained that he does not like to tell people that he can “relate” to their situation for fear that it will “undermine” their own “unique and very personal experience.” But then he did just that. 

        “But in this instance, I feel as though I can relate to what it feels like to have your world suddenly stop,” he said. “And so while we may have found ourselves in similar situations, albeit for very different reasons and circumstances, I still believe that some of the emotional struggles are very much the same. And so I do have empathy for what it feels like to suddenly be told that you can’t go back to work, or that you might lose your job. And that it’s a situation you have absolutely no control over.”

        Before the accusations—many of which came from men who were underage at the time of the alleged assaults—came to light at the height of the #MeToo movement in 2017, Spacey delivered the keynote address, in person in Munich, at this same conference in 2016. 

        Over the course of his talk this year, Spacey attempted an inspiring message about perseverance. But he kept returning to his own plight. “I was so busy defining myself by what I did or what I was trying to do that when it all stopped, I had no idea what to do next,” he said. When his career came to a “grinding, screeching halt,” Spacey says he asked himself, “If I can’t act, who am I?” 

        At no point in his speech did Spacey acknowledge the allegations against him or apologize to anyone he may have wronged. He did, however, inadvertently invoke the popular mantra that has been used to comfort members of the LGBTQ community who face discrimination and abuse.

        “As bleak and as horrible as things can be and can look, as they did for me two years ago and as they might look for you right now,” Spacey said, “they will get better.” 

          Matt Wilstein

          Senior Editor

          @mattwilsteinmatt.wilstein@thedailybeast.com

          Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

          READ THIS LIST

          DAILY BEAST
          • Cheat Sheet
          • Politics
          • Entertainment
          • Media
          • World
          • Innovation
          • U.S. News
          • Scouted
          • Travel
          • Subscription
          • Crossword
          • Newsletters
          • Podcasts
          • About
          • Contact
          • Tips
          • Jobs
          • Advertise
          • Help
          • Privacy
          • Code of Ethics & Standards
          • Diversity
          • Terms & Conditions
          • Copyright & Trademark
          • Sitemap
          • Best Picks
          • Coupons
          • Coupons:
          • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
          • HP Coupon Codes
          • Chewy Promo Codes
          • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
          • NordVPN Coupons
          • JCPenny Coupons
          • Nordstrom Coupons
          • Samsung Promo Coupons
          • Home Depot Coupons
          • Hotwire Promo Codes
          • eBay Coupons
          • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
          © 2023 The Daily Beast Company LLC