- Disgraced actor
Kevin Spacey said that he empathizes with people who have lost their jobs during thecoronavirus pandemic as he has lost out on work over sexual assault accusations. - Spacey was invited to speak at a German business conference called Bits & Pretzels, and said that he can relate to people who are having their worlds stopped suddenly.
- Spacey said: "I do have empathy for what it feels like to suddenly be told that you can't go back to work, or that you might lose your job, and it's a situation you have absolutely no control over."
- Spacey also said that this pandemic is a chance to reflect on our lives, and that being kind to oneself is the best place to start.
- Spacey said: "Because as bleak and as horrible as things can be and can look, as they did for me two years ago as they might look for you right now, it will get better."
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Kevin Spacey compared his loss of work in the film industry over sexual assault allegations to people losing their jobs in the coronavirus crisis.
Spacey was invited to talk at a German business conference called Bits & Pretzels, and told the conference that he is able to emphathize with people who are losing their jobs.
"I don't think it will come as a surprise for anyone that my world completely changed in the fall of 2017. My job, my relationships, and my standing in my own industry were gone in just a matter of hours," Spacey said.
Spacey said he doesn't usually like to say that he knows what someone is going through because it may undermine their experience, nevertheless: "In this instance, I feel as though I can relate to what it feels like to have your world suddenly stop.
"And so while we may have found ourselves in similar situations albeit for very different reasons, I still feel that some of the emotional struggles are very much the same. And so I do have empathy for what it feels like to suddenly be told that you can't go back to work, or that you might lose your job, and it's a situation you have absolutely no control over."
Spacey then compared artists to entrepreneurs and used a car analogy to drive home his point. The disgraced actor said that both sets of people are full throttle in their quests to fulfil their visions, and don't ever stop to check how they are doing personally.
"But when the car finally does come to a stop, either through success or through failure, we may have no idea where we are. Or, even worse, we may have no idea who we are," Spacey said. "And that's exactly what happened to me."
Spacey said that he has only ever known how to act, and has only ever defined himself by his work as an actor. When that came to a "grinding halt," Spacey said, he had to ask himself who he was if he couldn't act.
Spacey then said that this pandemic is an opportunity to "stop and reflect on our lives," and that the most important thing is our mental and physical health.
"Because as bleak and as horrible as things can be and can look, as they did for me two years ago as they might look for you right now, it will get better," Spacey said.
The Oscar-winning actor finished the video by talking about the tagline for "American Beauty," which was "look closer." Spacey said: "Kindness at any distance brings us closer."
"Begin by being kind to yourself. Might be the hardest place to start. It certainly was for me."
In 2017 and 2018, Spacey was accused of sexual assault by numeral men. This is the first time he has given any public address as himself since the allegations. He previously released a video acting as his "House of Cards" character Frank Underwood.
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