Kevin Spacey breaks silence over sex assault claims to compare industry shunning to coronavirus job losses

Actor Kevin Spacey has broken his silence over sex assault allegations, comparing being shunned by the film industry to those who are out of work as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

The 60-year-old American Beauty star has not appeared in a professional movie or series since accusations of abuse were made by several men.

"I don't think it will come as a surprise for anyone to say that my world completely changed in the fall of 2017,” he said in comments made during an interview for the German business conference Bits & Pretzels podcast.

“My job, many of my relationships, my standing in my own industry were all gone in just a matter of hours.”

The former House of Cards lead, who was dropped by the show after allegations surfaced, has largely kept a low profile since the allegations were made.

He was also removed from the film All the Money in the World, which had to be reshot with actor Christopher Plummer.

Spacey has always denied the claims, several of which date back several decades.

“While we may have found ourselves in similar situations, albeit for very different reasons and circumstances, I still believe that some of the emotional struggles are very much the same," he said.

“And so I do have empathy for what it feels like to suddenly be told that you can't go back to work or that you might lose your job and that it's a situation that you have absolutely no control over.”

At the end of the podcast interview, Spacey added: “I was so busy defining myself by what I did or what I was trying to do, that when it all stopped I had no idea what to do next. All I knew how to do was act, I was born to do it.

“I don’t want to sugarcoat this devastating time that we’re in, I am hoping that I can encourage you to see an opportunity in all of this and turn this into a positive.”