Gabriel Byrne Says Kevin Spacey's "Sexually Inappropriate Behavior" Delayed "Usual Suspects" Shooting
Actor Gabriel Byrne says that filming on The Usual Suspects was shut down abruptly for two days back in 1995 due to co-star Kevin Spacey being accused of “sexually inappropriate behavior towards a younger actor."
In a revealing interview with The Sunday Times, Byrne said that it was initially unclear why filming stopped on the Oscar-winning film, but it eventually came out that it was due to Spacey's alleged predatory behavior.
"I did not know honestly then the extent of his violence,” said Byrne. “I mean, he was kind of a joke in that people would say, ‘That’s Kevin,’ but nobody really understood the depth of his predations. It was only years later that we began to understand."
The Usual Suspects was directed by Bryan Singer, who has also been accused of sexual abuse by underage boys, including a lawsuit announced this week that claims the filmmaker raped a 17-year-old boy aboard a yacht in Seattle in 2003.
In an interview with TMZ on Thursday, Singer said Byrne's allegations about Spacey on set of The Usual Suspects were "not at all" true, adding that he has no idea where the story came from.
Singer sad that he thinks Spacey will be able to work again, but that it's up to the audience to decide if they'll support it. When then asked if he would ever personally work with the fallen Oscar winner, Singer paused for a long time before answering the "loaded question."
"He’s a guy I helped launch his career," he answered. "He’s an acquaintance of mine. It depends on the project, I guess."
Based on the ongoing allegations about both men that keep pouring in, they may soon only have each other to work with in the future anyway.