The world of Hollywood and entertainment has seen a seismic shift in the past few years. After the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke the dam, allegations began flooding in about various powerful men in the industry. This included acclaimed actor Kevin Spacey, who was accused of sexual harassment by a bevy of men-- beginning with Anthony Rapp's allegations from when he was 14. Spacey ultimately lost his job at Netflix's House of Cards in the process, and reshoots were filmed in order to replace him with Christopher Plummer in All the Money In The World. Dame Judi Dench worked with Kevin Spacey in 2001's The Shipping News, and recently spoke up about the actor being cut from All the Money in the World, saying:
I can't approve, in any way, of the fact - whatever he has done - that you then start to cut him out of films. Are we to go back throughout history now and anyone who has misbehaved in any way, or has broken the law, or has committed some kind of offense, are they always going to be cut out?
While not defending Kevin Spacey's alleged sexual misconduct, Dame Judi Dench takes umbrage with him being cut from a film role. She seems to think it sets a dangerous precedent, where actors can be fired from projects for any past impropriety.
Judi Dench's comments from San Sebastian Film Festival (via BBC) are sure to be polarizing for her generations of fans. The allegations made against Kevin Spacey are deeply personal by their nature, so emotions are high-- for even the outside observer. Yet the 83 year old actress doesn't think it should affect the movie itself, due to the imperfect nature of humans. Because one thing is clear in the current entertainment world: any past misstep has the potential to end your career.
Kevin Spacey's very public fall from grace was one of the first and biggest stories associated with the #MeToo movement, and the industry quickly attempted to distance itself from the actor. This included the cast of All the Money in the World, who insisted on reshoots in order to bring a new actor into Spacey's role. House of Cards will also release its final season this year without Spacey's protagonist Francis Underwood.
In addition to firings involving sexual misconduct, offensive comments have also gotten certain Hollywood figures fired. Roseanne Bar was fired by CBS for making jokes deemed racist, while Guardians of the Galaxy director/writer James Gunn was canned after offensive tweets from a decade ago resurfaced.
Judi Dench has a few projects coming down the pipeline, including Artemis Fowl on August 9, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
