It hasn't been an easy journey for Kevin Spacey but with tears in his eyes and dabbing his eyes with tissue he told jurors in a London court how sexual misconduct allegations six years ago had destroyed his career.

“My world exploded,” Spacey said at his sexual assault trial. “There was a rush to judgment, and before the first question was asked or answered, I lost my job, I lost my reputation, I lost everything in a matter of days.”

The emotional testimony came toward the end of his nearly three hours in the witness box, in what could be the most consequential speaking part of his life. He denied sexually assaulting three men and chalked up crotch-grabbing allegations by a fourth as having been a “clumsy pass.”

The two-time Oscar-winning actor is standing trial at Southwark Crown Court on a dozen charges of sex offences against four men between 2001 and 2013, when they were in their 20s and 30s.

Giving evidence at the start of his defence, Spacey denied committing any sexual assaults and told jurors he had been "crushed"

These allegations put Spacey’s stellar film and stage career into a spiral as the #metoo movement gained momentum in the U.S. and a fellow actor accused him of sexually inappropriate behavior three decades earlier.

Prosecutor Christine Agnew has called Spacey a “sexual bully” who “delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable.”

But  Spacey spoke in a calm tone and earnest demeanor, raising his voice in contempt only briefly to address some of the allegations.

At times he was humorous, humble and self-deprecating as he breezed over a career in acting that began, he joked, when he emerged from his mother’s womb.

He seemed more than content to reflect on happier times in his career.

To read more about Kevin Spacey’s testimony

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/kevin-spacey-crushed-by-sexual-assault-allegations-actor-tells-london-court-2023-07-13/