Kevin Spacey's Relationship History Was Sparse Even Before His Scandal
Kevin Spacey's sexuality was one of Hollywood's worst-kept secrets — but if somebody's bedroom antics involve consenting adults, who cares? Still, for those that did, all the clues were there; you just needed to look at Spacey's decidedly lackluster relationship history. Sadly, though, the actor's actions allegedly didn't involve any such consent. Spacey is reportedly as duplicitous as his "House of Cards" character, Frank Underwood. And aside from the politician's penchant for murder, Spacey's purported actions are even more twisted than Underwood's intrigues and contretemps.
After BuzzFeed reported that Spacey was accused of sexually harassing a 14-year-old boy, the floodgates opened. He was hit with multiple accusations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior. Spacey came out as gay amid the flood of sexual harassment claims.
Life for Spacey today is far removed from his A-lister days of old, when he graced red carpets, scooped up awards, and even landed the most coveted job in Britain's theater world as the artistic director of the prestigious Old Vic. However, he was fired in 2015 after the truth of Spacey's alleged double life came to light amid multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, inappropriate behavior, and assault — all of which he has denied. Spacey's relationship history was sparse even before his scandal. Now it's literally down to just one man and his dog.
A man of few romances
Kevin Spacey's relationship history was sparse at best even before his scandal hit. Still, nowadays, he cuts an even more solitary figure, stuck in Hollywood purgatory as he gears up for his court battle on June 28. Spacey often flew solo at movie premieres and parties, aside from his ubiquitous PR team lurking in the background. However, the actor reportedly had at least a couple of relationships during his career.
It was never publicly confirmed, per The Sun, but Spacey was romantically linked to Jennifer Jason Leigh and Ashleigh Banfield. His longest-known relationship was with scriptwriter Dianne Dreyer, who he's believed to have dated for eight years before splitting in 2000. Prior to Dreyer, Spacey was linked to the actor April Winchell for a year in the 1970s. Spacey namechecked Dreyer during his "American Beauty" Oscars speech. "Diane, thank you for teaching me about caring about the right things," he gushed. "And I love you."
Spacey admitted that he loved playing Lester in the movie — a middle-aged ad man who becomes sexually obsessed with his teen child's best friend — "because we got to see all of his worst qualities, and we still grew to love him," he said. "This movie, to me, is all about how any single act, from any single person, put out of context is damnable." Well, unfortunately for Spacey, he's facing a lot more than just any single allegation.
Ready for his big comeback
Kevin Spacey is facing 12 charges of committing sexual offenses against four men between 2001 and 2013. The Guardian reports that he's accused of three counts of indecent assault, three counts of sexual assault, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, four charges of sexual assault, and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. Spacey has steadfastly maintained his innocence and denies all charges.
Per NPR, he previously appeared in a New York court after being sued by Anthony Rapp, who claimed Spacey tried to have sex with him when he was 14. Rapp's allegations surfaced when the #MeToo movement exploded, which didn't go unnoticed by a tearful Spacey. "The industry was very nervous. There was a lot of fear in the air about who was going to be [accused next]," he said. "I was shocked. I was frightened, and I was confused. ... I knew I had never been alone with Anthony Rapp."
Meanwhile, Spacey insists it will be business as usual once the trial is over and done with. "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," Spacey told ZEITmagazin. Although, he noted, "It's a time in which a lot of people are very afraid that if they support me, they will be canceled."