Actor Guy Pearce says he ‘regrets’ publicly calling Kevin Spacey ‘handsy’
PALM SPRINGS, CA – JANUARY 12: Actor Guy Pearce attends the North American Premiere of “When We Rise” at the 28th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival on January 12, 2017 in Palm Springs, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Palm Springs International Film Festival )
Australian actor Guy Pearce has said he “regrets” publicly calling Kevin Spacey “handsy,” after implying that the disgraced star groped him when he worked with him on the 1997 film LA Confidential.
Pearce had spoken out about working with Spacey on Australian talk show Interview earlier this month.
Speaking to host Andrew Denton, Pearce was asked about his time working with Spacey.
“Yeah … yeah,” responded Pearce. “Tough one to talk about at the moment. Amazing actor; incredible actor. Mmm. Slightly difficult time with Kevin, yeah.”
He then said: “He’s a handsy guy,” before adding: “Thankfully, I was 29 and not 14.”
However, Pearce has now released a statement following his interview on Interview, appearing to take back making his comments on Spacey public.
“I very much understand that it’s too sensitive a topic to be brushed off,” he said in a statement to The Sydney Morning Herald.
“I addressed and handled the situation when it took place, hence my regret at making it public now.”
Since last year, Spacey has been the subject of numerous allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct dating as far back as 1986.
Following actor Anthony Rapp’s accusations against Spacey in October 2017, he was dropped from a number of projects he was involved with.
However, in June it was revealed that Spacey is set to return to the big screen at least one more time, starring in the upcoming film Billionaire Boys Club.
Netflix series House Of Cards, in which Spacey played the lead role, had him written out, and director Ridley Scott had him cut from All The Money In The World and drafted in Christopher Plummer as a replacement.
Kevin Spacey is the subject of multiple allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. (Getty)
Police forces in London and Los Angeles are currently investigating a number of claims of sexual assault made against Spacey.
Star Trek: Discovery actor Rapp told BuzzFeed News last year that he had waited two decades to publicly name Spacey as the man who allegedly abused him when he was 14.
He said: “The older I get, and the more I know, I feel very fortunate that something worse didn’t happen.
“And at the same time, the older I get, the more I can’t believe it. I could never imagine [that] anyone else I know would do something like that to a 14-year-old boy.”
Actor Anthony Rapp instigated a wave of sexual misconduct allegations against Spacey, when he came forward last year. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
In response, Spacey stated that he had no recollection of the incident that occurred when he was 26, and also used the opportunity to come out as gay, which was widely criticised, in a lengthy tweet.
He wrote: “But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour.
“This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life. I know that there are other stories out there about me and that some have been fueled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy.”
He added: “I now choose to live as a gay man.”
