Kevin Spacey unfurled a strike poster in front of the public in Tashkent

Kevin Spacey unfurled a strike poster in front of the public in Tashkent

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Kevin Spacey visited the XV Tashkent International Film Festival “Pearl of the Silk Road”. Notoriety played a cruel joke on him. Now he is known not so much for his acting achievements as for his scandals involving accusations of harassment.

Spacey is a two-time Oscar winner, winner of the Golden Globe, British BAFTA, Laurence Olivier Theater Award, and Tony. He played in the films “Seven” and “House of Cards” by David Fincher, “The Usual Suspects” by Bryan Singer, “American Beauty” by Sam Mendes, “A Time to Kill” by Joel Schumacher, and directed the British theater “Old Vic” for more than ten years. With Sharon Stone, he hosted a gala concert at London’s Albert Hall dedicated to the 80th birthday of Mikhail Gorbachev, and the hero of the day himself was involved in this choice.

Spacey’s recent years have been turbulent. He was accused of sexual harassment. There are 12 episodes. While they were sorting this out, he lost his contracts and lost his roles. The studios presented him with claims related to financial losses. As a result, the court found Kevin not guilty, but his reputation suffered. Sometimes it all resembled a commissioned comedy. On the eve of the appearance of 64-year-old Spacey in Tashkent, another wave of accusations began. This time, the massage therapist alleged harassment during massage sessions in 2016, for which the famous actor allegedly signed up under a false name.

Kevin Spacey has apparently learned to accept the blows of fate. Nothing betrayed his anxiety. He arrived at the festival as if nothing had happened, and spoke in front of filmmakers from all over the world and students of creative universities. The best seats in the hall were allocated to the Russian delegation. Alexey Uchitel, Vladimir Khotinenko and his wife Tatyana, Alexander Kott and his son, Elizaveta Boyarskaya and her mother Larisa Luppian, Renat Davletyarov and Tashkent-born director and producer Dzhanik Fayziev came to listen to Spacey. The meeting disappointed many. We were expecting something special. And Spacey appeared in casual and slightly rumpled clothes, took matters into his own hands and, like a real showman, held his own meeting with the audience. At first he didn’t give a word to men, he only listened to women. If someone’s microphone stopped working, he passed on his own and, after temporary technical problems, asked if there were anyone in the audience who wanted to become sound engineers. The essence of creative professions was discussed most of all. The attitude towards film criticism became clear after a dialogue with a young representative of this profession from Kazakhstan. “Film critic? Sit down!” – Kevin said, acting out a mime scene. Everything was strictly regulated. Filming the guest was allowed only for the first fifteen minutes. He strictly monitored the allotted time himself. Half an hour has passed – the conversation is over, goodbye. Kevin believes that everything should be in moderation and it is important to stop in time.

In Tashkent, no one dared to remind Spacey about the trail of accusations against him, but they were interested in the Hollywood strike. Moreover, during a meeting with the public, the actor himself unfurled a poster on the topic of the day: “SAG-AFTRA on Strike.” The Hollywood strike seriously rocked the American film industry. The writers and actors put on a powerful front. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors (AFTRA) merged over a decade ago to form SAG-AFTRA. That’s why the poster mentions the SAG-AFTRA strike, which became their common challenge to Hollywood producers. Spacey did not go into details of the conflict, despite the interest shown in the topic and the specific question from Dzhanik Fayziev. Spacey briefly explained that things are moving towards reconciliation, although each side has its own understanding of the situation. Everything should be resolved through negotiations in the near future. He asked who among those present was dreaming of Hollywood, counted the number of raised hands and said: “You know what situation Hollywood is in now. But soon everyone will return to work, then it will be possible to come to us.”

Despite losing many film offers, Spacey hopes his best roles are yet to come. He explained how important it is for the actor, together with the director, to convey the author’s message. “The actor’s job is to add some color, but only the director is responsible for everything and sees the whole picture,” Spacey said. — A creative person must learn something every day, learn new things, especially if he lives in a country with a rich history. You need to watch movies as much as possible, because in this way an actor constantly discovers something for himself. Each of us, as we gain experience, learns for ourselves what works better, what is more effective on the screen and stage, and what is less impressive. All comes with experience. The most important thing for an actor is to be sincere, to be himself and to convey the thoughts of the author. Everything else will come.”

He recalled how he became an actor: “I had a difficult childhood, everything was not easy. But my mother wanted me to study theater and music. I was an ordinary boy, grew up in Southern California, and then we moved to New Jersey. There was no one in my family or among my friends who had anything to do with cinema. But I knew what I wanted and I strived for it. When I entered drama school, I felt that I could realize myself by becoming someone else, leaving who I am. This is how I found myself and strived to be noticed. I have been interested in cinema since childhood and grew up watching it. There were great actors who inspired me. I admired them. If now I can influence young people myself, it is a great honor for me. Young people today have advantages. The world is becoming global, more and more opportunities are emerging to express yourself and show off your talents. The main thing is to strive for your dream, don’t stop, and then everything will work out.”

From Tashkent, where Spacey spent a day, he went with the festival guests to Samarkand for the opening ceremony. He had never been there before and wanted to see the pearls of the ancient Registan with his own eyes.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29127 dated October 3, 2023

Newspaper headline:
Kevin Spacey went along the Silk Road

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