Twenty years ago, Kevin Spacey was a Hollywood Staple. He had come off “The Usual Suspects,” “L.A Confidential,” “Seven” and “American Beauty,” winning an Oscar for his performances in both “American Beauty” and “The Usual Suspects.” More recently he’s been known, or was known, for his role in the Netflix political drama, “House of Cards.” While the show may be entertaining to watch on-screen, it’s been the opposite watching it play out in real life. 

“In an interview with Buzzfeed News, actor Anthony Rapp claims Spacey made a sexual advance towards him when Rapp was 14,” BBC News stated. “Rapp, now 46, claims Spacey laid on top of him at a party at the actor’s apartment in 1986 and alleges the star ‘was trying to seduce’ him.” 

After that, everything snowballed.

Spacey tried to say he was drunk, and even came out as gay in an effort to gain sympathy. In the following months, there would be several verifiable allegations that came out against Spacey from young Hollywood hopefuls who were taken advantage of by a predatory veteran. In fact, at a bar in Massachusetts in 2016, a young man reported – in 2018 – that he was being harassed by Spacey. Spacey defended himself by claiming that he was in character as his “House of Cards” character, Frank Underwood. 

Hollywood and unions surrounding it cut all ties with the actor, and he was kicked off “House of Cards” and replaced in films. Spacey continued to deny the piling charges and allegations despite obvious evidence, much like his character in “House of Cards.”

Then, in 2019, where Spacey has had to show his face in court, charges have mysteriously been dropping one by one. 

“The alleged victim’s lawyer says his client filed papers on 3 July to dismiss the suit voluntarily,” BBC reported about a case involving Spacey’s behavior in 2016. “The case is dismissed with prejudice, meaning Spacey’s accuser cannot refile the case later.”

Then, in July of 2019, Prosecutors in Massachusetts dropped a criminal case relating to charges of indecent assault and battery, which stemmed from the accusation that Spacey groped an 18-year-old man at a bar in 2016. The charges were dropped after the accuser refused to testify about a missing phone. The actor’s lawyers accuse the man of deleting crucial text messages and say the phone could be used to prove their client’s innocence.

Most recently, one of Spacey’s remaining accusers died in a car accident, therefore dropping the case against him. 

The Spacey case is absolutely bizarre. It’s an example of this new culture we as a society have created. We thrive off of entertainment, and that’s what everything is all about. Everything is more immersive than ever before, and content creators do whatever they can to make audiences feel connected to things. Whether people like it or not, it works. Kevin Spacey is a terrible human, and an absolute psychopath, but he is the result of the hungry consumer and society’s emphasis on entertainment. 

This is proven by Spacey’s video that he posted to his personal youtube account titled, “Let me Be Frank.” The title is a pun of course, but it’s also literal. 

“The video is as double-toned as it is clunkily titled,” The Daily Beast summarized. “You can take the character talking to you to be a mash-up of fiction and reality, Underwood and Spacey – although only a really good shrink or prosecution lawyer could ultimately determine which is which.”

“You want me back,” Underwood/Spacey says, direct to the camera, oddly sexual and suggestive, and oddly demanding and imposing.”

Spacey’s ego is clearly inflated and this is exemplary of many of the men incarcerated as a result of the now more established MeToo movement. The lack of responsibility, accountability and respect exhibited by Hollywood heroes have set the precedent going forward. 

Kevin Spacey is a popular guy, someone who we would not have expected to hear these things about, yet it happened anyway. Who else do we not know about? Will we ever know the truth about Spacey’s actions? And will actors justify their actions by playing their most famous roles? We’ll never know, but at least we won’t have anyone as crazy as Spacey. 

On Oct. 29, actor Anthony Rapp accused Academy Award winning actor Kevin Spacey of sexual assault. In the following weeks, 20 men have accused Spacey of sexual misconduct, including harassment, assault and attempted date and statutory rape. Each of these men alleges that Spacey forcibly engaged them in nonconsensual sexual behavior. Many of these men, including Rapp, claim to have been minors at the time of assault.

The controversy doesn’t end there. Spacey responded to Rapp’s accusation just hours after the statement released. On Twitter, Spacey publicly “apologized” to Rapp for “drunkenly inappropriate behavior” that he doesn’t remember occurring “over 30 years ago.” After this pseudo-apology, Spacey ended the tweet with an announcement of his sexuality. He claimed that his formerly closeted status as a gay man caused these outlets of sexual behavior. Understandably, the LGBTQ+ community was outraged by the declaration, accusing Spacey of using their platform to deflect serious accusations of sexual misconduct.

This isn’t the first time accusations have been made against Hollywood moguls. Celebrities such as Courtney Love, Elijah Wood and Corey Feldman attempted to warn the American public as early as 2005. Both Wood and Feldman alleged Hollywood moguls’ involvement in an “underground sex ring” complicit in the abuse of minors, among others. On Nov. 10, Feldman launched an Indiegogo campaign, announcing a plan to expose six alleged abusers in Hollywood and his commitment to the cause.

Spacey has since been dropped by agents and lost the starring role of popular Netflix series “House of Cards.” Since the allegations against Spacey, more than 29 men in politics, film, television and news have been accused of assault. Many big names promise continued exposure and retribution. Are we experiencing a revolution planning to overturn hierarchies that protect and enable sexual abuse? Or a media phenomenon doomed to fade as attention wanes?

The ultimate consequences of these allegations remain to be seen.

Cover photo courtesy of Out Magazine.

If you have no other options, there are no kids in the room and you are willing to be sad all night, then watch “American Beauty.”

“American Beauty” was recommended to me by a work friend. So, it’s Thursday night and I am searching through Netflix, and I remember the recommendation. After seeing the movie, I will never think of my friend the same way. It’s just one of those movies.

“American Beauty” is about dysfunction. It satirizes the American dream. A family consisting of a mother, father and daughter fall into ruin due to the lack of communication, mutual sexual desire and following prescribed roles.

The film contains everything horrific, including affairs, drugs, abusive parents and pedophilic desire. If you aren’t sad yet, slap on some creepy neighbors, homophobia and extreme vanity.

However, this does not mean the movie was all bad. It did have a few redeeming qualities.

For example, the acting was not awful; some of the actors are actually quite famous. “American Beauty” stars Kevin Spacey from now-popular “House of Cards.” Co-stars include Annette Bening, Allison Janney and Chris Cooper — all familiar faces.

In addition, the overall message of the movie was thought provoking, reminding one to find beauty in everyday living and to take control of life. A poignant scene in the movie sums up the meaning — a plastic bag blowing in the wind. At this point of the movie I broke into the song, “Do you every feel like a plastic bag / drifting through the wind / wanting to start again?” Sadly, “American Beauty” was made in 1999, a.k.a. pre Katy Perry’s “Firework.” Therefore, I had to sing solo and provide my own comic relief for the movie.

A final plus to the movie is that it built suspense. Granted, it takes about 45 minutes for the interest to hook. But after 45 minutes, there was no way I was turning it off. Each mind-warping twist compelled me to keep watching to the end. Then I got there and found it unsatisfying and unsurprisingly sad.

“American Beauty” has its positives, yet is outweighed by its overall negative mood. Though if you are feeling down and need a reminder of the beauty of life, the movie is worth a watch . . . or just scream-along to Katy Perry’s “Firework,” get the same message and feel uplifted.

Photo courtesy of cbarbosaa.wordpress.com