Kevin Spacey
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Kevin Spacey, the two-time Oscar winner who has largely stayed out of the public eye since his career collapsed in the early days of the #MeToo era, is taking steps to venture back into the public sphere.
The actor has booked his first comic convention appearance for February 16-18 at Mad Monster in Concord, North Carolina. Organizers announced Wednesday that he will be among the guests signing autographs and posing for photos through the company Everest Autographs.
Spacey won Oscars for “The Usual Suspects” (1995), the cult crime drama that has won wide appeal in parts of the comic book scene, and for “American Beauty” (1999). He played Lex Luthor in “Superman Returns” (2006) and helped Netflix achieve prestige programming with “House of Cards.” Among his few public appearances in recent years has been reprising House of Cards' Frank Underwood in a series of holiday videos, including one with ousted Fox News host Tucker Carlson last month.
Aside from these videos, Spacey has largely avoided public appearances after allegations of sexual misconduct against young men emerged in late 2017. Netflix fired him from House of Cards in the wake of the allegations, while filmmaker Ridley Scott reshot part of the feature film All the Money in The World removed him from the film and replaced him with Christopher Plummer.
In addition to the fallout to his career, Spacey also faced countless legal issues. He was acquitted of sexual assault charges in Britain in July. Those close to him say the actor feels vindicated by the verdict, while those in Hollywood say it is extremely unlikely he will ever work in the city again. The actor has spent the last few years taking on roles in the low-budget indie world, where some producers have been happy to have him despite the controversy he brings.
Now he's joining the comic convention world, which for the past decade has been a place where A-listers like the cast of the Avengers films can make six figures in a weekend and supporting actors in old comic shows can make a living. It has also been the scene of numerous controversial figures. Edward Furlong, who played John Connor in T2: Judgment Day as a child, was accused of domestic violence in the 2010s and was a regular at fan conventions across the country, most recently appearing at Fan Expo earlier this month New Orleans, Louisiana, on .
Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider, who came under scrutiny from the Secret Service last month for posting that President Biden “should be publicly hanged,” will also be on Mad Monster along with Spacey. Alec Baldwin, who was charged last week with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the accidental death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in his indie Western “Rust,” is appearing at a convention in Atlanta on Feb. 9 and 10, only his second imposter at all. Austin St. John, another regular fraudster and star of the '90s TV show “Power Rangers,” is facing federal charges for alleged PPP loan fraud.
Generally, such bookings go unnoticed, but there is always the risk of a public backlash. When Rhode Island Comic Con booked Ferris Bueller's Day Off actor Jeffrey Jones to appear at the convention in November 2023, they had to remove him from the lineup after a public outcry. (The actor pleaded no contest in 2003 for paying a 14-year-old boy to pose for explicit photos.)
“Among the many things I have learned over the last few years is how much I care about my fans,” Spacey said in a statement. “I know I can’t thank every single one of them, but this is a big step in that direction.”
Organizers of Mad Monster, the first impostor to hire Spacey, added: “Kevin Spacey is one of the most sought-after actors in the celebrity gig world. We couldn’t be more excited to be the first to bring him to a show.”