Kevin Spacey's Wishful Thinking

People sometimes choose to believe what is less painful yet untrue

Actor Kevin Spacey is feeling pretty good these days. Like maybe too optimistic.

Despite the reputation mess he created for himself with over a dozen sexual misconduct allegations against him spanning years and the subsequent media reporting of it and court cases, Spacey feels his future will be about relief and sunshine and after he dies, he’ll be remembered fondly.

Have you known people who don’t know what they don’t know? Or live in perpetual denial despite the problems and risks nearly everyone else sees?

Spacey might be one of those people.

Remember when he was accused in 2017 of making a sexual pass years earlier at actor Anthony Rapp when Rapp was 14-years old and Spacey was 26? Or when 14 other people came forward with sexual assault allegations?

Spacey is still dealing with a lot of those claims in London. Let’s talk about what he is saying now while responding to his legal and reputation fires.

“I know that there are people right now who are ready to hire me the moment I am cleared of these charges in London. The second that happens, they’re ready to move forward,” the “House of Cards” star, 63, told ZEITmagazin ahead of the June 28 start of his London trial, which is expected to last four weeks,” writes Erin Keller in the New York Post.

Doesn’t get much more confident than what he communicated.

Maybe his claims are factual, that decision-makers believe Spacey is being railroaded and will be exonerated or that settlements and hush money through nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) will move the actor from being nuclear waste reputation-wise to employable again for attractive work.

Yet, at this moment, he sounds at least a wee bit overconfident and ignorant of how the world really works. Here’s more Spacey bluster:

“It’s a time in which a lot of people are very afraid that if they support me, they will be canceled,” Spacey told ZEITmagazin, adding confidently, “The moment scrutiny is applied, these things fall apart. That’s what happened in the Rapp trial, and that’s what will happen in this case.” 

Could he be the target of opportunistic people and a victim of exaggeration and bigger lies? Absolutely. That is a possibility as Spacey seems to be inferring with this strong comments. Could he also be acting in public, knowing that he is guilty but has the significant legal advantage with a more powerful legal team? That too is possible.

Spacey seems at peace that his career moving forward and people’s memory and judgment of him when he passes away is going to be a positive or a net positive.

“In 10 years, it won’t mean anything. My work will live longer than I will, and that’s what will be remembered,” he said.

Spacey is mistaken. The type of behavior for which many people accused him of is going to stick to him, even if receives favorable court decisions. This is how the world often works.

There are too many people who made claims for critics to disbelieve accusers. Of course, prevailing in court is better than losing so that would be helpful. Yet, it’s helpful to remember that the public — and critics especially — don’t always believe that the courts ruled correctly.

Spacey is not thinking about that truism and neither are the potential employers who have told Spacey that they are ready to hire him right away. Maybe some of them told the actor they were waiting for successful court defenses to hire him to encourage Spacey though, not thinking they would ever have to hire him because they didn’t foresee him triumphing in court.

The public, generally speaking, will remember the allegations and associate Spacey’s name with the misbehavior. Winning with the media and court of public opinion can be far more onerous that walking out of court with one’s name successfully defended.

Michael Toebe writes “Reputation Notes” and is the founder and specialist at Reputation Quality, a practice that serves and assists successful people and organizations in further building reputation as an asset and responsibly, ethically protecting, restoring or reconstructing it.

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