Kevin Spacey has been hired in a film for the first time since sexual assault allegations against him first surfaced more than three years ago, causing many legal battles and jeopardizing his on-screen career.
According to Louis Nero, one of the producers, the film “L’uomo Che Disegno Dio” (or “The Man Who Drew God”) is an Italian feature produced by Franco Nero, who rose to popularity after directing the 1966 spaghetti western “Django.” Mr. Spacey, who plays a detective, is not the main character in the picture, according to him.
Vanessa Redgrave, the director’s wife, was first supposed to have a role in the film, but a spokesman announced on Wednesday that she would not be in it. After actor Anthony Rapp accused Mr. Spacey of making unwelcome sexual attempts toward him when he was 14 years old in the 1980s, TV and film executives began withdrawing Mr. Spacey from projects. More allegations followed, and numerous men have filed lawsuits against Mr. Spacey alleging sexual assault and other crimes.
Mr. Spacey, 61, was quickly dropped from Netflix’s political thriller “House of Cards,” replaced by Christopher Plummer in Sony’s “All the Money in the World,” and portrayed Gore Vidal in a biopic that was never released. He featured in a supporting role for a completed film called “Billionaire Boys Club” less than a year after the allegations but has not acted in a television show or film since. According to Louis Nero, the film is about a blind artist (Franco Nero) who makes portraits of people by listening to their speech. The creators intend to finish the picture in September, but Mr. Spacey has yet to film his part.
“I only know that he is a terrific actor — that’s it,” Louis Nero replied when asked about the sexual assault charges. According to the producer, Ms. Redgrave was supposed to play a woman who teaches the artist how to read Braille. “While there have been negotiations regarding the prospect of her joining the cast, she will not act in the film,” a spokeswoman for Ms. Redgrave stated in a statement. On Monday, a spokesman for Franco Nero did not reply to demands for comment.
Mr. Spacey has been involved in legal battles over sexual assault and misbehavior allegations against him for years. Mr. Rapp and an unnamed man sued Mr. Spacey last year, alleging that Mr. Spacey sexually assaulted him when he was 14 years old after meeting him in an acting class in the 1980s. A judge determined that if the guy wanted to proceed to trial, he would have to identify himself publicly; his lawyers argued the “unwanted attention” connected with exposing his identity would be “too much for him to bear,” but hinted that they would appeal the decision.
Mr. Spacey was accused with sexual assault of an 18-year-old man in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 2018. When the accuser cited the Fifth Amendment and refused to continue testifying, prosecutors abandoned the case.
