Dame Judi Dench has risked a backlash after defending “good friend” Kevin Spacey.
The veteran ‘James Bond’ actor has slammed film bosses’ decision to cut him from ‘All The Money In The World’, following sexual misconduct allegations made against him last year.
Spacey was famously replaced by Christopher Plummer in the Ridley Scott film last year, despite all of his scenes having already been recorded.
Speaking at press conference at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, Judi said: “I can’t approve, in any way, of the fact that – whatever he has done – that you then start to cut him out of the films.”
“Are we to do what happened when he was replaced with Christopher Plummer? Are we to do that throughout history?” she said.
“Are we to go back throughout history and anyone who has misbehaved in any way, or who has broken the law, or who has committed some kind of offence, are they always going to be cut out? Are we going to extrude them from our history? I don’t know…”
She added: “I don’t know about the conditions of it, but nevertheless he is, and was, a most wonderful actor. I can’t imagine what he is doing now. And a good friend.”
Judi went on to praise his good character, and credited him with helping her overcome the loss of her husband when they worked together on 2011 film ‘The Shipping Kind’, which she described as a career highlight.
“Kevin was an inestimable comfort and never mentioned he knew I was in a bad way,” she said. “He cheered me up and kept me going.”
Spacey has been out of the limelight since multiple men accused him of sexual harassment back in November 2017.
At the time, his then-publicist said Spacey was seeking “evaluation and treatment” and the actor released a statement, which drew criticism for his decision to use the opportunity to come out as gay.
Following the allegations, Spacey was fired from ‘House Of Cards’, with co-star Robin Wright taking over as the drama’s sole lead when series six arrives later this year.