Christopher Plummer on replacing Kevin Spacey: 'It's very sad what happened to him'

Christopher Plummer has broken his silence on replacing Kevin Spacey in Ridley Scott’s forthcoming All the Money in the World.

“I think it’s very sad what happened to him. Kevin is such a talented and a terrifically gifted actor, and it’s so sad,” Plummer told Vanity Fair at the premiere of The Man Who Invented Christmas on Sunday in New York. “It’s such a shame. That’s all I can say, because that’s it.”

Last week, it was announced Spacey, 58, will be cut out of Scott’s latest film, which would have seen the embattled Oscar winner star as J. Paul Getty under heavy prosthetic makeup. In an unorthodox move, Plummer will replace Spacey in All the Money in the World via costly reshoots. The film, which was already completed and set for release before the end of the year, remains on track for a Dec. 22 premiere.

Speaking of the work he’ll do on the film, Plummer, 87, said it was like “starting all over again.” He added, “Although the situation is very sad. I’m very saddened by what happened to Kevin, but what can I do? I’ve got a role. I admire Ridley Scott and I’m thrilled to be making a movie for him. And so I thought, that was it. Ages ago I was in contention for [the role], way back. So I was familiar with it, and then Ridley came to me and I agreed. I wanted to work with him. He’s very good. I loved the script. The script is wonderful.”

Last month, actor Anthony Rapp alleged Spacey had made an unwanted sexual advance toward him when Rapp was 14 (Spacey, at the time, was 26). In the weeks since, numerous others have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Spacey, who “is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment,” according to his representative. In the wake of Rapp’s claims, Spacey was fired from Netflix’s House of Cards, which will end following its upcoming sixth season. “Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement. “We will continue to work with [production company] MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show.”