Disgraced actor Kevin Spacey took the stand in his United Kingdom sexual assault trial Thursday, claiming that his alleged victims had misunderstood his actions.
The 63-year-old actor spoke of his “romantic” and “somewhat sexual” friendship with the first accuser, and described him as “funny and charming and flirtatious,” according to the New York Post. “I liked him greatly. We had a good time together. We laughed a lot,” Spacey told the jury in Southwark Crown Court. “I never thought that [the man] I knew would … 20 years later stab me in the back.”
The individual Spacey referred to has accused the actor of assaulting him up to 12 times.
Kevin Spacey Testifies He’s a ‘Big Flirt’ at Sex Assault Trial in London https://t.co/3M4AAZRoqX
— TMZ (@TMZ) July 13, 2023
Spacey also suggested he had been victimized by being forced to defend his reputation. He noted he was “crushed” when then accuser spoke out. “I’m a flirt, I’m a big flirt,” Spacey told the court, according to the Post.
The “Usual Suspects” star said the sexual relationship was consensual. “It didn’t happen in a violent, aggressive, painful way. It was gentle and it was touching and it was, in my mind, romantic,” he told the jury.
“We never had sex together because he made it clear that he didn’t want to go any further,” Spacey said. “And I respected that.” (RELATED: Kevin Spacey Accuser Joked About Alleged Sexual Assault After It Happened)
Spacey said the allegations against him make “no logical sense,” and implied that the accuser may have regretted being “intimate” with him.
The actor has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges, including one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.