Actor Christopher Plummer has spoken for the first time about replacing Kevin Spacey in Ridley Scott’s forthcoming film All the Money in the World.
It was announced last week that Spacey would be cut out of the movie, in which he plays J. Paul Getty, and replaced by Plummer via costly re-shoots. The film had already been completed and aims to still be released as scheduled before the end of the year, with a premiere date of December 22nd.
The casting decision came following numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against Spacey. Actor Anthony Rapp, who has been advanced by Spacey when he was only 14, was the first to come forward and numerous others have also come forward with accounts in the weeks since.
Plummer was at the premiere of The Man Who Invented Christmas, a film he stars in which is due for release in Irish cinemas on December 1st, when he was asked by Vanity Fair about replacing Spacey. He answered: “I think it’s very sad what happened to him. Kevin is such a talented and a terrifically gifted actor, and it’s so sad.
“It’s such a shame. That’s all I can say, because that’s it.”
“It’s really not replacing him [Spacey]—it’s starting all over again," he added. “I’m very saddened by what happened to Kevin, but what can I do? I’ve got a role. I admire Ridley Scott and I’m thrilled to be making a movie for him. And so I thought, that was it. Ages ago I was in contention for [the role], way back. So I was familiar with it, and then Ridley came to me and I agreed. I wanted to work with him. He’s very good. I loved the script. The script is wonderful.”
Spacey was also fired from Netflix’s House of Cards following the allegations. According to his representative, the actor “is taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment.”
