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Kevin Spacey
Chris J. Ratcliffe/Getty Images
Kevin Spacey, the two-time Oscar winner who has largely avoided the public spotlight since his career imploded in the early days of the #MeToo era, is taking steps to venture back into the public square.
The actor has booked his first comic convention appearance, scheduled for February 16-18 at Mad Monster, the convention taking place in Concord, North Carolina. Organizers announced on Wednesday who will be among the guests Signing autographs and posing for photos.
Spacey won Oscars for The usual suspects (1995), the cult crime drama that resonates in the corners of the Comic Con crowd, and by American Beauty (1999). He played Lex Luthor in Superman returns (2006) and helped fuel Netflix’s push toward prestige programming with house of cards. His few movements towards the public in recent years have been to resume house of cards‘Frank Underwood in a series of Christmas videos, including one with ousted Fox News host Tucker Carlson last month.
Except for those videos, Spacey has mostly avoided public appearances following allegations of sexual misconduct involving young men. at the end of 2017. Netflix fired him from house of cards following the claims, while filmmaker Ridley Scott reshot part of the feature film All the money in the world to remove him from the film, replacing him with Christopher Plummer.
In addition to the fallout from his career, Spacey also faced countless legal problems. In July, he was acquitted of sexual assault charges in the United Kingdom. Those in his orbit say the actor feels vindicated by the verdict, while those in Hollywood say it is extremely unlikely he will work in the city again. The actor has spent recent years taking on roles in the low-budget indie world, where some producers have been happy to have him despite the controversy he generates.
Now he joins the world of comic book conventions, which for the past decade has been a place where celebrities like the cast of the Avengers movies can make six figures in a weekend and old comic book actors can eke out a living. It has also been the playground of several controversial figures. Edward Furlong, who as a child played John Connor in S2: Judgment DayHe faced domestic violence charges in the 2010s and has been a regular at fan conventions across the country, most recently appearing earlier this month at the Fan Expo in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Dukes of Hazzard Star John Schneider, who came under scrutiny by the Secret Service last month for posting that President Biden “should be publicly hanged,” will also be in Mad Monster alongside Spacey. Alec Baldwin, charged last week with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the accidental death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on her independent western. Oxide, He appears February 9 and 10 at a convention in Atlanta., only his second appearance in a con. Austin St. John, another frequent scammer and star of the 90s Forest ranger television show, is under federal indictment for alleged PPP loan fraud.
Generally, these types of reservations go unnoticed, although there is always the risk of a public reaction. When Rhode Island Comic Con was booked Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Actor Jeffrey Jones will appear at the November 2023 convention, they were forced to pull it of the alignment after a public outcry. (The actor pleaded no contest in 2003 to paying a 14-year-old boy to pose for explicit photographs.)
“Among the many things I have learned over the past few years is how much my fans care about me,” Spacey said in a statement. “I know I can’t thank each of them individually, but this is a big step toward doing just that.”
The organizers of Mad Monster, the first con to cast Spacey, added: “Kevin Spacey is one of the most sought-after actors in the celebrity appearances space. “We couldn’t be more excited to be the first to bring him to a show.”