Getty Images/Gramercy Pictures(LOS ANGELES) — Actor Gabriel Byrne alleges that filming on Kevin Spacey’s breakout 1995 hit film, The Usual Suspects, was shut down because of allegations of sexual misconduct against the actor.
Byrne told the U.K.’s Sunday Times that at the time that neither he nor anyone else in the cast knew the reason for the two-day shutdown.
“I did not know honestly then the extent of his violence,” Byrne told the paper. “I mean, he was kind of a joke in that people would say, ‘That’s Kevin,’ but nobody really understood the depth of his predations. It was only years later that we began to understand that [filming] was closed down for a particular reason and that was because of inappropriate sexual behavior by Spacey.”
Spacey’s agent did not respond to the paper’s request for comment.
Byrne also addressed the allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein, who produced three Byrne movies.
“I knew he was a vile bully and I saw his bullying up close. I saw him be absolutely appalling, not just to women but to men as well. He had very little respect for any kind of human being. He wanted his stars around him,” Byrne said.
Byrne added that he had heard “vague rumors” of Weinstein’s alleged mistreatment of women.
“I heard that once or twice from two very well known actresses,” Byrne told the paper, “but the problem when you hear something like that is, do you pass that on? Because if it’s not true it’s awful, and if it is true it’s not your job to say, ‘Well, I wasn’t there, the door was locked, I don’t know what happened, I just heard the story.’ But I did not know, and many people didn’t know, the extent of the violence that he perpetrated on women.”
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