Sharon Stone, Liam Neeson, Other Actors Call for Kevin Spacey's Return to Movies: 'He is So Elegant and Fun'

Variety reports that a number of actors, including Sharon Stone and Liam Neeson, have called for Kevin Spacey's return to Hollywood's good graces – and future films.

"In statements given to The Telegraph, Stone and Neeson were joined by the likes of Stephen Fry and F. Murray Abraham in their calls for Spacey's return," Variety relayed, noting that "Abraham himself was accused of sexual misconduct during the production of the Apple TV+ series 'Mythic Quest,' which reportedly led to his firing."

(The Telegraph story is behind a paywall.)

"I vouch for him unequivocally," Abraham told the Telegraph.

"Who are these vultures who attack a man who has publicly accepted his responsibility for certain behavior, unlike so many others?" the "Amadeus" actor and "White Lotus" star went on to add, referencing Spacey's own statements on the accusations leveled at him. The actor has acknowledged that some of his past behavior may have been inappropriate, but has denied that anything he did was criminal.

Abraham doubled down on his support of Spacey, saying, "He is a fine man, I stand with him, and let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

Stone also lashed out Spacey's accusers, which have included openly gay "Star Trek" actor and "Rent" alum Anthony Rapp.

Saying that young would-be stars "wanted and want to be around him," Stone told the Telegraph, "It's terrible that they are blaming him for not being able to come to terms with themselves for using him and negotiating with themselves because they didn't get their secret agendas."

Spacey, Stone said, is "a genius".

"He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will," the "Basic Instinct" star told the Telegraph.

Neeson lauded Spacey as "a good man and a man of character. He's sensitive, articulate and non-judgmental, with a terrific sense of humor. He is also one of our finest artists in the theatre and on camera."

The "Taken" and "Schindler's List" actor went on to add: "Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly."

Comedian Stephen Fry decried what he characterized as Spacey being lumped in "with the likes of Harvey Weinstein" and told the Telegraph, "to continue to harass and hound him, to devote a whole documentary to accusations that simply do not add up to crimes... How can that be considered proportionate and justified?"

Spacey himself lamented his exile from the silver screen in a recent interview with Dan Wootton, Variety relayed, telling the UK journalist, "Nobody in Hollywood has ever presented a path back for me.... It seems that some are content with just canceling me forever. It's a life sentence."

Business Insider reported that in the course of that interview, the "House of Cards" star responded to fresh allegations contained in a new documentary, "Spacey Unmasked," which aired earlier this month on Britain's Channel 4.

"Were there times when I would flirt with some of the people who were involved in those programs who were in their 20s? Yes," Spacey told Wootton. "Did I ever hook up with another actor? Yes. Did I make a clumsy pass at someone who wasn't interested as it turned out? Yes." But, as before, he denied assaulting anyone.

Spacey's career was quickly derailed when the allegations against him came to light in 2017. He lost his starring role in the Netflix series "House of Cards," and his work in Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World" was left on the cutting room floor, with his scenes quickly re-shot with actor Christopher Plummer.

It is unclear whether any new charges or court cases will arise in the wake of "Spacey Unmasked," in which, Business Insider noted, "10 men – nine of whom had not previously come forward with their stories – ...have accused the Hollywood actor of inappropriate behavior, including sexual harassment on the set of 'House of Cards' to masturbating in a movie theater during a showing of 'Saving Private Ryan,' according to Rolling Stone."

Thus far, allegations have not gained traction in the courts.

"In 2022, a jury in New York concluded that he did not molest actor Anthony Rapp, who had accused him of sexual assault in the early 1980s when Rapp was 14," Variety recalled.

"The next year, a U.K. court found Spacey not guilty of nine charges of sexual assault from four complainants," the entertainment outlet went on to add. "Several other charges and lawsuits have been dropped."