A jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court will decide the fate of Kevin Spacey sometime this month.
On Monday, July 17, Elton John and his husband David Furnish appeared as the final witnesses in support of their Oscar-winning friend, who is accused of multiple counts of sexual assault.
John, who just completed his final tour with a July 8 date in Stockholm, Sweden, testified at Spacey’s trial, challenging claims made by one of the accusers.
The long-awaited criminal trial started in late June and is expected to wrap up with a final decision on Kevin Spacey. One of the most celebrated actors of his generation, Spacey is known for starring roles in films like American Beauty and The Usual Suspects, both performances that earned him an Oscar.
The 63-year-old star pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of sexual offences allegedly committed against four men between 2001 and 2013. The accusers claim the assaults happened when Spacey was mostly living in Britain, including from 2003 when he served as the artistic director of the Old Vic theatre in London.
The Horrible Bosses actor, who has homes in London and the U.S., earned multiple distinguished awards for stage, screen and TV performances, but his career tanked six years ago when the news of the alleged assaults was made public.
Tinged in controversy, Spacey was deleted as J. Paul Getty in Ridley Scott’s film All the Money in the World (2017) and replaced by Christopher Plummer.
After a forced Hollywood hiatus, Spacey said he feels like he’s “back at the beginning of my career, when nobody wanted me.’
Referring to the roles he’s performed while waiting for his case to be settled, Spacey–who’s free on bail–said, “Just because I was being benched for a while, I’m not going to stop working. I don’t want to get rusty. I’m ready.”
Recently, Spacey re-appeared in the 2022 film, The Man Who Drew God, directed by Italy’s Franco Nero. He also stars in the upcoming film Peter Five Eight, which is expected to be released in August after Spacey’s trial is closed.
In an estimated four-week trial, the Glengarry Glen Ross actor maintained his position that he never sexually assaulted three of the four accusers, with disturbing claims, including performing oral sex act on an unconscious man.
Dismissing one man’s fondling claims as “pure fantasy,” Spacey said that the other two were consensual encounters with men who later had regret.
The fourth, however, he did not dispute. He admitted that during a night of heavy drinking, he made a “clumsy pass,” but argued the “crotch-grabbing” suggestion.
This week, Elton John and his husband David Furnish briefly appeared at the London court via video link, defending Spacey.
John and Furnish, who host the annual White Tie and Tiara Ball–that’s held at their home in Britain to raise funds in fighting AIDS–were key in providing information about the event that’s referred to several times in court.
According to the Associated Press, “One of the alleged victims said he was driving Spacey to the White Tie & Tiara Ball in 2004 or 2005 when the actor grabbed his crotch so forcefully that he almost ran off the road.”
This contradicts Spacey, who said he only attended the star-studded bash in 2001. Speaking to accusations in the car, he firmly stated, “No, I was not on a suicide mission in any of those years.”
Giving evidence from Monaco, John was asked what he remembered of Spacey attending the function, held at the Windsor home he owns with Furnish.
John, wearing yellow tinted glasses, a dark jacket and light blue open-collar shirt, said Spacey–who flew to England in a private jet–attended the party once in the early 2000s.
Giving his name to the court as “Elton Hercules John,” he said: “Yes, because he arrived in white tie, he came on a private jet and came straight to the ball.” Asked to confirm Spacey arrived by private jet, the singer quipped, “I believe so. I don’t think he was wearing white tie on a commercial flight.”
John said the actor spent the night at their house after the event. He then confirmed that a Mini Cooper was bought at the auction by Spacey, who said he spent the most money “ever” on that model of car, which was left in John’s garage to collect later.
Meanwhile, Furnish, also John’s manager, backed Spacey’s testimony that 2001 was the only year he attended the charity event.
Furnish, also a filmmaker, said that every guest is photographed, and after reviewing images from years 2001 to 2005, he confirmed Spacey only appeared in 2001.
The prosecutor pressed Furnish, asking if it was possible that celebrities could ask not to be photographed. He answered, “It never happened. It was understood we were promoting a charity involving the eradication of stigma surrounding disease. For celebrities wanting to come to our event, it was always understood they needed to be photographed.” Furnish continued, “To have a star of the magnitude of Kevin Spacey…and say he didn’t want to be photographed, that would be an impossible situation for the foundation to be in…He was an Oscar-winning actor and there was a lot of buzz and excitement that he was at the ball.”
The timeline is of critical importance in the trial, where the alleged victim–who cannot be named–accused Spacey of several assaults beginning in 2000. When asked, he said he may have gotten the year wrong, but that the other details, causing him to almost crash the car, were correctly conveyed.
The court heard a different story from Spacey, who said the two were friends. The actor explained that the men explored intimate contact but, because the alleged victim is straight, he respected his wishes to not go further.
AP reports that the House of Cards star “was crushed when he learned the man had complained to police about him and said the man had ‘reimagined’ what had been consensual touching.”
John was the final witness for defense and before Spacey’s lawyer Patrick Gibbs rested his case, he shared character testimonials with the court.
Spacey was reportedly in tears as Gibbs read statements from colleagues, friends and family. Robert Sean Leonard, known for his role on the TV show House and the film Dead Poets Society, said he greatly admires Spacey, who is “positive, supportive and respectful.”
“He’s more than a successful actor, he’s a movie star, but unlike every other movie star I’ve worked with, he doesn’t know it,” Leonard said. “Stardom was never his goal. He loves and respects the work, and he loves and respects the people he works with.”
Spacey, who said he’s an actor in demand, is ready to work and make more blockbusters.
“It’s a time in which a lot of people are very afraid that if they support me, they will be canceled,” he said. “But I know that there are people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges in London. The second that happens, they’re ready to move forward.”
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It’s interesting to see who comes out to support a high profile actor in any trial. It’s hard to have an opinion without being present in the court, and we hope a fair decision is made to the party who’s deserving.
What do you think of this trial? Will you still watch Kevin Spacey films after hearing what’s happened?
