Addressing A Scandal

Posting this entry saddens me immensely.

Readers of my blog are well acquainted with my decades-long admiration for Mr. Spacey, which was further reinforced through various personal encounters.

My suspicions about his sexuality have been brewing for quite a while, and in hindsight, it really is remarkable how incriminating tabloid photos have managed to stay out of widespread circulation this long.

Let me be clear: I abhor any act of sexual harassment and assault, particularly when minors are involved.

And while Mr. Spacey was never formally investigated until now, the sheer number of accounts - many of which share eerily similar details - indicates a disturbing pattern of behaviour which, unbelievably, has been left unchecked for too long.

The severe backlash is understandable, of course, because Mr. Spacey has won multiple prestigious awards, even hosting the Tonys ceremony just a few months ago. However, this also stinks of blatant hypocrisy, as many industry insiders admit that such incidents were an open secret, thus implying that those in positions of power who could or should have intervened chose not to do so, thereby further emboldening him.

As for my feelings about Mr. Spacey, I can only say that I did consider severing ties, e.g. by changing my Facebook profile picture, Twitter and Blogger profile descriptions. The reason I still can't do it is I've met him. Twice. Here're links to my blog posts about those meetings: from 2010, and 2011.

My accounts are lengthy but I urge you to read them. Our second meeting was especially significant because there was zero media coverage. It was the production's closing night and Mr. Spacey was exhausted. He could've ignored us or told us to leave him alone but he didn't. Instead, he decided to roll down the car window, engage us in conversation and sign autographs. It is a memory that I greatly cherish.

What's not mentioned in these posts is how he also signed and returned DVD covers I mailed to The Old Vic. It took 2-3 years to get them back, but he made the effort to respond to fan mail, which I think is highly commendable.

If these encounters hadn't occurred, it would be easy for me to condemn him. But my interactions with Mr. Spacey illustrate his capacity for kindness, and how much his fans mean to him. I can only conclude that he's skilled at compartmentalizing his divergent personalities, a Jekyll-and-Hyde character in dire need of therapy.

It took a scandal like this to force him to seek treatment, and right now, I choose to support him. I hope he'll get better, and one day, it's possible he'll be forgiven.

And while all this is going on, Donald Trump continues untouched as POTUS. As Kevin Spacey fans correctly pointed out, it's insane that a man who only plays the president on TV is held to a higher standard than the actual leader.

America really needs to sort out its priorities.