Brian Cox Thinks Kevin Spacey Should Have ‘The Opportunity To Come Back to Work’ as ‘He’s Been Through It’: ‘Let’s Move On’

Brian Cox is against the cancel culture in Hollywood and is rooting for Kevin Spacey to make a comeback. The House of Cards star was one of Hollywood’s most talented actors until his fall from grace in 2017 due to sexual assault allegations. Ever since, Spacey has been blacklisted from Hollywood, barely getting acting gigs. However, Cox believes it is time for his former co-star to return to the big screen.

In an interview, the Succession star dished on Spacey’s return to the spotlight, describing cancel culture as “bizarre nowadays.” Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about the disgraced actor, Cox said, “I just think Kevin had certain things which he couldn’t or didn’t admit to, and I think it was a strain on him in many ways. And for me, that was Kevin’s only difficulty.” The Scottish actor then recalled meeting up with Spacey recently, saying:

I think he’s been through it. He’s had the kicking that some people think he deserved. He’s ready to get back in the saddle again, and people are trying to stop him from doing that. And I really do go back to, ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.'”

The 78-year-old admitted that Spacey maybe “got too out of hand.” However, Cox doesn’t believe he “should be punished endlessly for it.” Instead, he believes it “should be a case of forgive and forget.” Concluding his point, Cox told the publication:

“Let’s move on. I think he should be given the opportunity to come back to work.”

Brian Cox Once Called Kevin Spacey ‘Somewhat Predatory’

Cox’s recent statement is quite a far cry from how he previously spoke of his former co-star. The pair starred alongside each other in the 1994 film Iron Will. EW reports that in his memoir, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, Cox described the younger actor as “a great talent, but a stupid, stupid man.” He also seemingly alluded to the accusations against the Baby Driver actor having some basis. The veteran stage actor alleged in his book that Spacey’s sexuality was an “open secret” as well as “the fact that he could be somewhat predatory.”

Recall that after years of dating women, the Usual Suspects star came out as gay in 2017 while denying allegations of sexual misconduct by Anthony Rapp. The jury, however, found Spacey not liable in the 2022 civil lawsuit. Rapp claimed the actor molested him in 1986 when he was 14. Cox publicly slammed Spacey’s decision to come out, calling it a “big mistake.”

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More than a dozen men have since accused Spacey in several criminal and civil cases. In 2023, a British jury found him not guilty in a case in which four men alleged he sexually assaulted them between 2001 and 2013. Currently, Kevin Spacey is involved in another civil trial in the U.K. in which a man accused him of sexual assault in 2008. The 65-year-old has denied allegations, maintaining his innocence about everything.