Facing accusations of sexual assault, the actor defended himself against multiple claims. He also admitted he got “the signals wrong” during one encounter.
Kevin Spacey told a British jury on Friday that some of the sexual assault accusations against him were “pure fantasy” and “absolute bollocks.”
On trial in a London courtroom, Mr. Spacey fired back at several questions that Christine Agnew, the prosecutor, put to him.
At one point, Mr. Spacey said, “You’re just making stuff up now,” and at another, he called the prosecution’s case “weak.” On several occasions, Justice Mark Wall, the presiding judge, interrupted to ask Mr. Spacey to answer the prosecutor directly.
Mr. Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges relating to incidents that the prosecution says involved four men and occurred from 2001 to 2013. For most of that time, the Oscar- and Tony Award-winning actor was the artistic director of the Old Vic theater in London.
Sitting at the front of the courtroom, Mr. Spacey — wearing a blue suit and patterned tie — was cross-examined for nearly three hours, the day after giving his own account.
At one point, Ms. Agnew asked Mr. Spacey if he agreed that he was “the golden boy of the London theater scene” at the time of the alleged encounters, and whether his accusers would have been unlikely to report him because of his reputation.
Mr. Spacey said that he used his position “to help others, to create art” and to revive the reputation of the Old Vic theater. “I didn’t have a power wand that I waved in front of people’s faces whenever I wanted someone to go to bed with me,” Mr. Spacey added.
Opening the case last month, Ms. Agnew, the prosecutor, said that Mr. Spacey was “a sexual bully” whose “preferred method” of assault was to “aggressively grab other men in the crotch.”
In the days after Ms. Agnew’s opening remarks, the jury heard from the four anonymous complainants who detailed their encounters with the actor. Some complainants said that Mr. Spacey grabbed them. Under British law, it is illegal for anyone to identify complainants in sexual assault cases, or to publish information that may cause them to be identified.
On Friday, Mr. Spacey said that he did not have a “trademark” move or grope people. “I know myself,” the actor said.
Ms. Agnew asked Mr. Spacey about an encounter with one complainant, who told the British police that, during a party, Mr. Spacey hugged him, kissed him twice on the neck, said, “Be cool,” and then grabbed his crotch. Mr. Spacey pointed out that touching the man’s crotch was not his first action.
“I am accepting that I got the signals wrong,” Mr. Spacey added of that encounter.
During the morning session, Mr. Spacey was also asked about his encounters with the other complainants. He said that he did not clearly remember all of the events but that he had a “naughty relationship” with one complainant, and consensual oral sex with another.
Mr. Spacey became most animated when asked about accusations that he assaulted a man on the day of a charity gala. The actor said he did not accept “a single word” of that complainant’s testimony. Mr. Spacey said that complainant may be motivated by “money, money and then money” to speak out against him.
After Mr. Spacey’s cross-examination, the court broke for lunch. The defense is now expected to spend several days calling witnesses in support of Mr. Spacey’s case.
Source: Theater - nytimes.com
