Kevin Spacey said he’s “confident” he will beat the multiple charges of sexual assault that were filed against him in the United Kingdom last week.
In a statement shared with Rolling Stone via his lawyer, Spacey said he would “voluntarily appear” in the U.K. to face the charges. Spacey is facing four counts of sexual assault for alleged incidents with three men that took place between 2005 and 2013; he’s also facing one charge of “causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.”
Spacey’s full statement read, “I very much appreciate the Crown Prosecution Service’s statement in which they carefully reminded the media and the public that I am entitled to a fair trial, and innocent until proven otherwise. While I am disappointed with their decision to move forward, I will voluntarily appear in the U.K. as soon as can be arranged and defend myself against these charges, which I am confident will prove my innocence.”
Two of the charges against Spacey stem from two alleged incidents in March 2005 involving one man. Spacey is also accused of sexually assaulting a second man in Aug. 2008; the “penetrative sexual activity without consent” charge also stems from this alleged incident. The last sexual assault charge is connected to an April 2013 complaint in Gloucestershire.
Along with the criminal charges in the U.K., Spacey is facing a lawsuit filed by Anthony Rapp, who was the first person to publicly accuse the actor of sexual misconduct in 2017. Rapp sued Spacey in Sept. 2020, claiming the actor assaulted him in a Manhattan apartment after befriending him while they both worked on Broadway. Rapp claimed a visibly intoxicated Spacey picked him up, put him on a bed, climbed on top of him, and made sexual advances before Rapp was able to flee. Spacey has denied the allegations.
Spacey has faced other allegations and legal actions as well, though not many have come to fruition. In 2019, He pleaded not guilty to charges of indecent assault and battery tied to a 2016 incident where he was accused of sticking his hand down an 18-year-old man’s pants and grabbing his genitals, but those charges were dropped after the alleged victim called off a civil suit. Another lawsuit filed by a John Doe was put on hold after the alleged victim died in Sept. 2019.
In recent months, Spacey has also begun trying to return to professional acting. Peter Five Eight, a noir drama with Spacey’s first starring role since his career came to a halt in 2017, just screened out-of-competition at Cannes. It was also recently announced that he would star in the historical drama, 1242.