Kevin Spacey largely disappeared from Hollywood after he was publicly accused of sexual misconduct in 2017. But for each of the last three years, the Oscar-winning actor returned to the public eye with videos uploaded to his YouTube channel on Christmas Eve.
In the latest video, uploaded Thursday and titled “1-800 XMAS,” Spacey directly addresses the camera and offers support to people who are struggling or considering suicide this holiday season.
“If you’re standing in a place that you can no longer remain standing, if you’re suffering, if you need need help, if you feel guilt or shame, if you’re struggling with your identity, if your back’s up against the wall, or if you feel that there is no path for you, whatever your situation, I promise you there is a path,” Spacey said.
“At this time during this holiday and beyond, even if you don’t feel it, there are people out there who understand and who can help, because you are not alone,” Spacey added.
The new video is a departure from Spacey’s first two Christmas Eve messages.
In those cryptic videos, Spacey portrayed his “House of Cards” character Frank Underwood, a villainous politician who speaks with a Southern drawl. In the new video, Spacey, 61, takes what could be described as a more earnest tone and speaks in his own voice.
He appears to allude to the allegations of sexual assault that have been leveled against him, claiming a lot of people reached out to him this year to share their difficult experiences.
“My ability to be there for them has really only been possible because of my own difficulties,” Spacey said. “And while it has been a privilege to offer support, I have to say, frankly, it’s also been beyond my abilities. It’s bigger than me.”
Spacey was first publicly accused of sexual misconduct in 2017 by actor Anthony Rapp.
Rapp, who starred in “Rent” on Broadway and appeared in the film “Dazed and Confused,” said in an interview with BuzzFeed that Spacey climbed on top of him in a bedroom at a 1986 party, when Rapp was 14. (Spacey would have been 26 or 27 in 1986.)
Spacey, best known for his roles in “The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty,” said in a statement at the time that he did not remember the alleged incident. But he apologized for “what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.”
He has since faced other allegations of sexual misconduct, prompting investigations in London and Los Angeles. Los Angeles prosecutors rejected a sexual battery case against the actor because the accuser died, The Associated Press reported in October 2019. Spacey’s attorneys denied wrongdoing in that case.
NBC News reached out to the actor’s representatives for comment on Thursday.
Spacey is one of several high-profile men in entertainment whose career was effectively ended by sexual misconduct allegations partly fueled by the #MeToo movement. He was fired from “House of Cards,” and he has not been cast in a film or television show since 2017.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
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