House of Cards actress Robin Wright indicated that she is supportive of a second chance for her co-star Kevin Spacey, who was ousted from the Netflix political drama last year in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations.
In an interview with Net-a-Porter published on August 31, Wright, when asked if Spacey deserves a career reprieve, said, “I believe every human being has the ability to reform... In that sense, second chances, or whatever you are going to call it – absolutely, I believe in that. It’s called growth.”
She also said she felt sorry for Spacey because of the media glare on his private life, but clarified that she was not condoning his actions or referring to the Me Too movement and the public anger over sexual harassment.
Wright first addressed the allegations against Spacey in July in an interview to Today, when she said that she had never met the actor outside work and only had a “respectful, professional relationship” with him. She said that the House of Cards crew was surprised and saddened by the allegations, but did not want to comment on Netflix’s decision to oust him from the show.
In October last year, Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp alleged that Spacey had made sexual advances at him at a party in 1986, when he was 14. Spacey made a public apology a day later, though he claimed not to recall the incident, and also came out as gay.
The timing of Spacey’s revelation was met with severe criticism. In November, eight House of Cards employees accused Spacey of sexual misconduct on the sets of the show in a CNN report.
Spacey was dropped a few days later from the political drama, in which he starred as Congressman Frank Underwood, who hatches an elaborate plan with his wife Claire (Wright) to attain power in the White House. The fifth season ended with Claire becoming United States of America’s first female president, after taking over from her husband. In December, Netflix announced that the sixth and final season of the award-winning show would revolve around Wright’s character. The season is expected to be premiered in November.
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