Spacey Unmasked: Channel 4 commissions Kevin Spacey documentary

A new documentary about Kevin Spacey is coming to Channel 4. With a working title of Spacey Unmasked, the series will follow the childhood, rise and stardom of the Oscar-winning actor to “his spectacular fall from grace, as he now faces accusations from multiple men of grooming, sexual harasment and abuse”.

The Channel 4 statement continues, “The two-part series will investigate Spacey’s conduct, how it affected others and the reasons why they have only decided to speak out now.”

The series will also follow two court cases: A civil case that will be taking place in New York in October this year, which has been “brought by actor Anthony Rapp, Spacey’s first public accuser” and a second criminal court case in London, based on allegations made by three men.

On the new series Kira Phillips, whose work includes the Channel 4 documentaries Teachers Training to Kill, and My Baby’s Life: Who Decides?, will direct. Dorothy Byrne, whose credits include the HBO Michael Jackson documentary Leaving Neverland and the 2022 Starz documentary Who Is Ghislaine Maxwell?, will be executive producing alongside veteran documentary maker Mike Lerner.

“Kevin Spacey is one of the most highly honoured and admired actors of our age,” said Byrne. “These films will follow the unfolding story of the allegations of abuse against him and the resulting court cases.”

Alisa Pomeroy, Channel 4’s Head of Documentaries, said: “I’m delighted that this important story is being taken on by such a stellar documentary team, who I know will tell it with the sensitivity, thoughtfulness and journalistic rigour it requires.”

The series will be produced by Roast Beef Productions, the team behind the award-winning Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer and The Do Gooders, a documentary about foreign aid in Palestine.

Spacey began his career back in the early Eighties on Broadway. He spent over two decades working in theatre, winning a Tony Award in 1991 and an Olivier for best actor eight years later. In 2003 he became the artistic director of the Old Vic in London, a position he held for 12 years.

At the same time as his theatre work, Spacey cemented his place as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars with roles in 1995’s The Usual Suspects and Se7en, 1997’s L.A. Confidential and 1999’s American Beauty. Spacey is perhaps best known to younger audiences for his leading role in House of Cards, the hit political Netflix series that ran from 2013-2017.