Where To Stream Spacey Unmasked And 4 Things It Reveals About Kevin Spacey
This article contains discussions of sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic abuse.
A searing new documentary streaming on Max focuses on alleged sexual misconduct by actor Kevin Spacey — and even more bombshell accusations have emerged from the collaboration between UK network Channel 4 and Investigation Discovery.
Before we get to said accusations — which come from actors and industry professionals who have encountered Spacey throughout their careers as well as Spacey's own family — let's note that Spacey has already vehemently denied any wrongdoing and is clearly furious about the docuseries. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Spacey wrote, "Over the last week, I have repeatedly requested that [Channel 4] afford me more than 7 days to respond to allegations made against me dating back 48 years and provide me with sufficient details to investigate these matters." Spacey then said that the network refused to give him an extension longer than one week.
That's not the only thing Spacey has said about "Spacey Unmasked," as the series itself features a quote from him. "I have consistently denied — and now successfully defended — numerous allegations made both in the U.S. and the U.K., both criminal and civil, and each time have been able to source evidence undermining the allegations and have been believed by a jury of my peers," Spacey said in a statement that's seen onscreen in "Spacey Unmasked." Beyond Spacey's continued denials of any impropriety, here's what we learned from the new documentary.
Kevin's Spacey's home life and childhood may have been extremely troubled
One of the most gutwrenching discoveries from "Spacey Unmasked" is that Kevin Spacey and his older brother Randy Fowler — from whom he's estranged — were allegedly abused by their father Thomas Geoffrey Fowler. (Fowler is Spacey's legal last name, and Spacey is his middle name.) In the docuseries, Fowler claimed that their father hung Nazi paraphenalia in their house and was a cruel and angry man, saying, "My father blamed the world for all of his problems and he was full of so much hatred." (This isn't the first time that Fowler has made this allegation; he said it previously in 2017).
Fowler also claimed that he was beaten with a riding crop by his father, and Spacey wasn't old enough to fully understand what was going on in the family's home ... but that it led to a disconnect between the brothers. In one of the most disturbing moments of the entire documentary, Fowler also claimed that his father sexually assaulted him while Fowler screamed for his mother, Kathleen Ann Fowler, for help. "This kind of nonsense went on for years and it wasn't until 1971 [that] I just said 'No, this has to stop now," Fowler said. Fowler ultimately moved out but did tell the documentary crew that he knew he was leaving Spacey to fend for himself in a dangerous and abusive home.
"I couldn't take it any longer. What about Kevin? What's going to happen to my little brother?" Fowler said. "I just had to take a chance that he would be okay. But just because he wasn't being abused doesn't mean that there wasn't psychological trauma going on within him from the strange family life we had."
Allegedly, Kevin Spacey created a horrible work environment on House of Cards
Elsewhere in "Spacey Unmasked," people who worked with Kevin Spacey on the acclaimed Netflix series "House of Cards" — where Spacey played corrupt, murderous politician Frank Underwood — said that his inappropriate behavior was simply a fact that everybody had to deal with. One former production assistant, Evelyn, said that she always supervised Spacey's behavior and confirmed that "House of Cards" was "a hostile work environment for a lot of people."
"The issue of Kevin was certainly well-known," Evelyn continued. "It was like 'Oh yeah, that's the thing, that's what happens here.'" During her time on the show, the then-PA said that she watched as Spacey touched other actors on their arms and legs, and that at one point an unnamed male cast member was actually removed from the "House of Cards" set because Spacey wouldn't stop making advances on the anonymous performer. Evelyn and another production assistant, she says, were basically hired to ensure that Spacey didn't abuse anyone ... but unfortunately, an actor who worked on the series named Daniel says that Spacey touched him inappropriately.
"It puts you in a really weird headspace where you're kind of waiting to be like what's bad enough where like something that has to be done about this?" Evelyn said of the experience and how it felt futile to try and stop Spacey's behavior. "Is there some way I can insert myself to kind of save them? It was not clear what you could do, you could call Netflix?"
Another actor alleged that Kevin Spacey made frequent homophobic comments — and seemed ashamed of his sexuality
tAnother actor named Scott spoke to the team behind "Spacey Unmasked" who claims that he met Kevin Spacey at the Hollywood hotspot The Viper Room in the late 1990s, and was immediately told that he would need to give sexual favors — presumably to Spacey himself — in order to succeed in the industry. Scott then continued and explained that he frequently witnessed Spacey say incredibly homophobic things (Spacey came out as gay in 2017 while responding to allegations that he sexually assaulted actor Anthony Rapp).
Scott tells a particularly unsettling anecdote in the docuseries about how, when he and Spacey saw two queer men out at a bar, the two-time Oscar winner started insulting them. "[They're] not too flamboyant, but you can tell they were gay," Scott recalled. "And Kevin notices them and he starts doing these voices for them as if they're these over the top, drag queens, like kind of in a creepy way, like really sh*tty make making fun of them."
"It was kind of my first indication that maybe he was uncomfortable in his own skin, some sort of inner self hatred," Scott continued. "I think it speaks volumes about how he feels about his own sexuality. It's a part of him that he doesn't like."
Scott isn't the only person interviewed in the docuseries who claimed that Spacey went to great lengths to distance himself from any accusations about his sexuality. Jesse, a former intern on Spacey's 1999 film "The Big Kahuna," claims that Spacey sexually assaulted him and then screamed at Jesse over the phone while repeating, "'I'm not gay.'"
Kevin Spacey was the artistic director at the Old Vic — and allegedly abused people there
Before he was accused of sexual impropriety by several different parties, Kevin Spacey served as the artistic director at the Old Vic — a theater company in London that was established in the early 1800s — from 2003 to 2015. According to "Spacey Unmasked," Spacey's sexual impropriety was also an issue at the Old Vic.
Danny, a former usher at the theater, said that while he was initially thrilled to meet an actor he deeply respected, he experienced Spacey's abusive behavior firsthand. Danny says that when Spacey squeezed into a small space where the ushers sit and watch the shows, Spacey assaulted him. "Because of where I was sitting and he was standing, I felt like his whole groin push on my face," Danny alleged. "[He was] someone I had tremendous respect for and he was pushing his groin on my face, during whilst I was working, whilst the pantomime was going on with families and children."
"I just thought what have I done to deserve this? How could you get on that stage, how could you sleep at night?" Danny said tearfully. Another actor, Ruari, acted alongside Spacey at the Old Vic and alleges that the actor digitally penetrated him in front of cameras on the red carpet, strategically positioning Ruari so that nobody could see.
Throughout the years, Kevin Spacey has been accused of rampant sexual misconduct
After disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein became the subject of a massive exposé that led to an industry reckoning, others came forward with their own stories about alleged predators, including actor Anthony Rapp (who starred in both the original Broadway production of "Rent" and the film adaptation). Rapp discussed the alleged abuse he faced at Kevin Spacey's hands in 2017, and though Spacey was acquitted in both Rapp's case and a case in the United Kingdom where he was accused of nine different counts of sexual abuse, it should be noted that accusers continue to name Spacey as a predator.
Spacey's behavior since being the subject of a "#MeToo" investigation has also, it should be said, been bizarre, whether he's filming weird videos in character as Frank Underwood or using an accusation of sexual assault as an opportunity to discuss his sexuality. "Spacey Unmasked" certainly leans into the worst accusations regarding Spacey, and it's absolutely heartbreaking to hear from so many people who claim that he's abused them in the past.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.