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New Details Emerge On Kevin Spacey’s Return To The Big Screen

   DailyWire.com
HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 25: Actor Kevin Spacey arrives at the 4th Annual Reel Stories, Real Lives event benefiting the Motion Picture & Television Fund at Milk Studios on April 25, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/WireImage)
Amanda Edwards/WireImage

Now that the news is out that someone is willing to hire disgraced 61-year-old Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey to act again, details are emerging about how his casting came about.

Though early reporting claimed the Italian film “L’uomo Che Disegnò Dio” or “The Man Who Drew God” is about a falsely-accused pedophile, producer Louis Nero told Entertainment Weekly that’s not the case. He said the story centers on a blind artist who meets a young girl and becomes “like a grandfather” to her. “[The film] does not involve pedophilia, as I’ve read in the media,” Nero said, “This is wrong.”

Nero also told EW that he isn’t concerned about the claims numerous men have made against Spacey, including Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp, whose case against the actor for sexually abusing him when he was 14 and Spacey was 26 is still pending. “In Italy, we don’t know details on everything, so we don’t speak about what we don’t know about,” Nero said. “I cannot speak about these things. I only know that Kevin is a great actor. That was my concern, and no more than that.”

Writer/director Franco Nero (no relation), who also stars in the film, defended his decision to cast Spacey over the weekend: “I’m very happy Kevin agreed to participate in my film,” he said, adding, “I consider him a great actor and I can’t wait to start the movie.”

Spacey has found some domestic defenders as well. Filmmaker Paul Schrader, best known for penning “Raging Bull” and “Taxi Driver,” as well as writing and directing 2017 Academy-Award-nominated film, “First Reformed,” echoed Nero’s take on Facebook, saying, “About time. If he’s guilty of a crime, incarcerate him. If not, let him act. Many great artists have been bad people.”

It’s not the first time Schrader has had Spacey’s back. During Oscar promotions for “First Reformed,” distributor A24 asked him to go dark on social media after he posted, “I believe there are crimes in life but no crimes in art. Spacey should be punished for any crimes his actual person created. But not for art. All art is a crime. Punishing him as an artist only diminishes art. Put Celine in jail, put Pound in jail, punish Wilde and Bruce if you must, but do not censor their art.”

One of Spacey’s highest profile accusers is disgusted that anyone is willing to hire him again. Mark Ebenhoch claims Spacey solicited him for sex when he was a young crew member on the 1995 film “Outbreak.” He told TMZ it’s “absurd” that anyone would cast Spacey now and believes the actor should be watched lest he repeat the behavior he’s been accused of.

Though more than 20 men have claimed Spacey assaulted or harassed them, unlike Harvey Weinstein and some other former Hollywood power players brought down by the #MeToo movement, Spacey has, as yet, not been convicted of a crime and has neither lost nor settled any civil suits brought against him.

This article has been amended for clarity. 

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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