Kevin Spacey‘s robust supporting actor Oscar campaign for Ridley Scott’s “All the Money in the World” has been shelved, Variety has learned. The move comes amid allegations of sexual harassment directed at the two-time Oscar-winning actor that stretch back 30 years.
Buried under considerable makeup and prosthetics, Spacey stars as oil tycoon J. Paul Getty in the film. The campaign was going to feature him front and center and focus on his physical transformation, according to two individuals with knowledge of the discontinued plans. But the embattled actor will no longer be in the spotlight as Sony and TriStar Pictures look to salvage the awards marketing strategy by featuring Spacey’s co-stars Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg.
Spacey, who previously won best supporting actor for “The Usual Suspects” in 1996 and best actor for “American Beauty” in 2000, was first accused last week by actor Anthony Rapp. Rapp alleged that Spacey made a sexual advance toward him when Rapp was just 14 years old. Others have come forward since with allegations of groping and preying on young actors who performed at London’s Old Vic Theatre, where Spacey served as artistic director from 2004 to 2015. UPDATE: As this story was being filed a new individual revealed he had been in a sexual relationship with Spacey when he was 14 years old and Spacey was 24. Shortly thereafter, eight cast and/or crew members from television’s “House of Cards” came forward alleging Spacey had turned the set of the Emmy-winning Netflix series into “a toxic environment for young men.”
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In a response posted to Twitter, Spacey apologized to Rapp “for what would have been inappropriate drunken behavior.” The response was widely derided, both for blaming alleged criminal behavior on hypothetical intoxication, and for lumping those accusations in with Spacey’s coming out as a homosexual.
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Also contending for supporting actor recognition this year is “The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)” star Dustin Hoffman. So far two women have come forward alleging sexual harassment by the 80-year-old screen legend. As of this time, there are no plans to change course in his campaign; he is in fact scheduled to appear with co-star Adam Sandler at a Screen Actors Guild screening of the film on Sunday night.
In the wake of the allegations against Spacey, the International TV Academy scrapped plans to honor the actor with its founders award. The Motion Picture Academy, meanwhile, may make its own determination. The group ousted disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein last month and later announced plans to establish a code of conduct for members, “which will include a policy for evaluating alleged violations and determining if action regarding membership is warranted.”
Asked whether Spacey will be a topic of discussion at the next Academy board meeting in December, an AMPAS spokesperson referred Variety back to that announcement.
On Tuesday, Netflix and Media Rights Capital suspended production on the sixth and final season of “House of Cards.” Spacey has received a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for the series, which put Netflix’s original programming on the map. The next day, Spacey announced through a rep that he “is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment.”
“All the Money in the World” is still set to premiere as the closing night selection of this year’s AFI Fest on Nov. 16. It will be released theatrically on Dec. 22.