Guernsey Director "proud" to have supported Kevin Spacey

Friday 28 July 2023

A Guernsey Director who faced backlash for casting Kevin Spacey in one of his films has said he is “proud” to have supported the House of Cards star after the actor was cleared of sexually assaulting four men.

The two-time Oscar winner was told on Wednesday that the jury hearing his case at Southwark Crown Court in London had returned not guilty verdicts on all charges.

Mr Spacey had been accused of nine sexual offences, by four men between 2001 and 2013.

He'd also faced accusations in the US - by a man who said he'd been abused in the 1980s - but Mr Spacey was also cleared in that case. 

Weeks after being acquitted in the US, Mr Spacey was offered a voice-only role in 'Control', a film written, produced and directed by Gene Fallaize which tells the story of a British government Minister who has an affair with the Prime Minister.

Pictured: Kevin Spacey at Southwark Crown Court on 24 July 2023. (Shutterstock)

In 'Control', the Minister's car is taken over by remote control and hijacked by someone else, with the film following her perilous journey.

As a disembodied voice, Mr Spacey's role in the film will not see his familiar face return to the screen but his role has been described as central to the storyline.

Mr Fallaize, who grew up in Guernsey and directed hit film 'Superman: Requiem', had previously faced criticism for his decision to cast Mr Spacey.

With Mr Spacey having cleared his name, Mr Fallaize said he was now looking forward to his latest work going on general release, hopefully later this year.

"When I made the decision to write a role specifically for Kevin Spacey with the hope of being able to cast him in ‘Control’ it was not a decision I came to lightly," he explained in a statement released yesterday.

"After discussions with my producers and our investors, in which I insisted that we cast him as he had never been found guilty of anything in his life, it was agreed to by all that we did not want to be part of those judging unfairly, and without the facts.

"Kevin and his team read the script and liked it, and we met with Kevin to discuss the project in November 2022. In the days following our meeting and offer for him to work on the film further accusations came to light, and we spoke with Kevin’s representatives who insisted that the claims were false, and Kevin would fight in court to clear his name. That was enough for us to continue, and Kevin has done exactly that."

He continued: "As Kevin himself said, he was subject to 'trial by social media', and we certainly had our share of backlash as a result of casting him in our film, but it is a decision I am proud to have made, as it meant I was lucky enough to work with one of the greatest actors of our times, and an actor who fought to clear his name - and won.

"I will forever be grateful to Kevin for his participation and for his work on ‘Control’, and I have nothing but respect and admiration for the man who attended court in person every day to prove his innocence.

"I only hope that in the future ‘innocent until proven guilty’ is a term actually considered by the public, and - especially - the media."

Mr Fallaize lived in Guernsey from the age of four. He went to St. Sampson's Secondary School and worked at most of the local media outlets as well as volunteering at Jubilee Hospital Radio.

Pictured: Gene Fallaize's IMDB profile details his childhood and teenage years growing up in Guernsey.

While just 17 he was appointed Vice-Chairman of the station, which at the time was a record for the youngest person to be given such a senior role across the Hospital Broadcasting Association.

After leaving Guernsey when he had finished school, Mr Fallaize worked on multiple projects within the movie business - one of the most successful being his homage to the earlier Superman films.

His Superman: Requiem film has had more than 60 million views since it was released just over a decade ago.

Mr Fallaize now works on projects through his own production firm, Cupsogue Pictures. He is credited as a director and producer, he also writes and makes cameo appearances in many of his own features.