Kevin Spacey is (allegedly) gay. That’s the “rumor” that’s been going around for… God, I don’t even know how long. I think I first remember someone (my mother) saying it when Spacey took his mother as his date for the Oscars. My mom: “That’s how you know! When their mother is their date.” But seriously, the rumors have been around for a while, and at this point, it’s pretty much established that Kevin is a private man who enjoys the company of other men, but that he doesn’t want to talk about it publicly, or come out of his “glass closet” as they say in the gay community. Anyway, Spacey gave an interview to The Daily Beast (full piece here), and the (gay) interviewer kind of went after Spacey about his sexuality:

Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, long the topic of rumor and innuendo regarding his sexuality, spoke — or refused to speak — about whether or not he is gay, in a new interview with The Daily Beast.

The interviewer, Kevin Sessums, is openly gay, and said the community has long welcomed Spacey as one of them — but asks Spacey why he, a noted gay marriage advocate, has not come out and returned the favor.

“Look, I might have lived in England for the last several years but I’m still an American citizen and I have not given up my right to privacy,” Spacey says, trying to stray from the subject. But when Sessums says that he does not believe one’s sexuality was a private matter, Spacey gets even more defiant.

“People have different reasons for the way they live their lives. You cannot put everyone’s reasons in the same box. It’s just a line I’ve never crossed and never will,” he says. Later, he asserts that not revealing his sexuality publicly does not qualify as living a lie.

Still, Spacey possibly alludes to the answer, saying, “Look, at the end of the day people have to respect people’s differences. I am different than some people would like me to be.”

The interview wasn’t all about Spacey’s sexuality — in fact, the thrust of the talk was about his new movie, ‘Casino Jack,’ which opens on Friday. Based on the crimes of former Republican financier Jack Abramoff — with Spacey playing lead — it chronicles the rise and fall of GOP donors, aides and Congressmen, including former House Majority Leader Tom Delay.

[From HuffPo]

I usually don’t hold this opinion, but I think Spacey is completely correct. If he doesn’t want to talk about it, he doesn’t have to. He’s never been one of those people living a fake heterosexual life for his fans who might abandon him if they learned the truth, and he’s not part of some dangerous cult who thinks they can “cure” gayness through barley water and intense tin-can auditing (coughTravoltacough). So, in my mind, he’s not “lying”. He’s just not coming out and talking about his sexuality AT ALL. Would we yell at a straight person if they wanted to keep their sex life private? Nope.

But I will say this… the jig is up, Kevin Spacey. We know. And we don’t care, honestly. We just want you to come back and make some good movies.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Why am I thinking of Andy Griffith when I look at these photos of Kevin Spacey? Granted, it’s not the worst comparison to make. Andy Griffith is a cool guy. But Kevin looks like a doddering old fool in this ill-fitting powder blue suit. The color combination isn’t bad though. I would have preferred it in a better-fitting off-white suit with a powder blue shirt, same tie and same belt. That would have looked sharp.

Kevin was in Paris for the opening night of Sam Mendes-directed As You Like It. Ugh, that’s one of my least favorite Shakespeare plays. Of course, I prefer the bloody tragedies. Still, Kevin is part of the effort to “globalize” Shakespeare, and encourage people around the world that these plays transcend any language:

PARIS – Film star Kevin Spacey and his friend the Hollywood director Sam Mendes brought Shakespeare to Paris this week in a global theatre project that the actor said had beaten the financial crisis. Mendes, who won an Oscar for directing Spacey in the 1999 tragi-comedy “American Beauty”, directs “As You Like It” and “The Tempest”, running for a week each in English with French subtitles, at Paris’s Theatre Marigny.

Spacey told AFP the project survived against difficult odds to get the big-budget shows on the road across three continents and hang on to big sponsors despite the financial crisis and widespread recession.

“If you have a good enough idea… I was pretty confident we’d be able to raise the money,” said Spacey, who does not act in the shows but helped produce them.

“We did, just before the credit crunch, and (sponsor) the Bank of America stuck with us,” he said, sipping champagne at the theatre before Wednesday’s Paris premiere of “As You Like It”. “Sam and I were always looking over our shoulders wondering if the phone call was coming (to cancel the funding), but it never did.”

English-language plays are not rare in Paris, but Hollywood figures of such renown have drawn media attention in the cinema-mad country. The shows are the second of three seasons of the Bridge Project, a tour using British and American actors launched by Mendes and Spacey, who is an established force in European theatre as director of London’s Old Vic.

“As You Like It” opened to a packed house with British actor Stephen Dillane stealing the show as the grumpy but wise outsider Jacques. He also plays the vengeful wizard Prospero in “The Tempest”, opening here on April 20.

Spacey insisted that theatre transcends language and cultural barriers. The current shows have played in New York and are also bound for Singapore, Hong Kong, Greece, the Netherlands and London.

“You could say that even people who speak English don’t understand every word that Shakespeare wrote, but you certainly understand the feeling and the emotions,” Spacey told AFP.

“Different audiences will respond in different ways… but at the end of the day it’s just about exposing the human condition and I think it just doesn’t matter where you come from.”

[From Asia One]

Sounds like an interesting project. I love Stephen Dillane too – I only recently got around to watching that HBO John Adams miniseries, and Dillane rocked as Jefferson. Although, just as a historical side note, I don’t really think Jefferson was as apathetic as Dillance made him out to be.

Oh, and Kevin’s “date” last night was Salma Hayek. How do they even know each other?

The off Broadway production of “Mary Stuart” opened yesterday at the Broadhurst Theatre in NY. “Stuart” is a drama about the rivalry between Queen Mary of Scotland and Queen Elizabeth I, and stars Harriet Walter and Janet McTeer. Celebrities were on hand at the opening yesterday, including Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney, and Marcia Gay Harden.

Parker wore a black satin sheath paired with skinny black pants, a black tuxedo jacket, and fushcia pink shoes with bows on them. The 44 year-old actress was at the opening with her husband of over 11 years, Matthew Broderick. Breakup rumors have dodged the pair for months, but they happily posed together and looked like everything was fine despite Parker’s outfit. It’s like Parker is mimicking her SATC character’s fashion risks and getting it wrong, particularly with the shoes. This isn’t the first time she’s raised eyebrows with her fashion and it won’t be the last. At least her husband doesn’t seem to mind.

It’s nice to see Liam Neeson out and about supported by friends. Last Wednesday Neeson took in a Knicks game with his sons, Daniel and Michael, and family friend, actor Aidan Quinn.

Thanks to Juan Rico/Fame Pictures and Sylvain Gaboury / PR Photos for these photos

When the celebrity-chasing press have made more than a covert speculation you’re gay and you’re trying to disspell the rumor, making a public statement that you would love to “pull off a Kevin Spacey” isn’t going to help your argument. Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford, though, means it in the best way, saying that Spacey is one of the most versatile actors today.

Chace Crawford wants to be the next Kevin Spacey.

The ‘Gossip Girl’ actor – who plays spoilt schoolboy Nate Archibald in the US TV show – is determined not to be typecast because of his role in the hit series, and believes he has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Hollywood’s top stars.

He said: “I want to do the edgy independent movies, like Leonardo DiCaprio did, but you have to balance it out. It’s about carving out your leading-man role. ‘Fight Club’? Yes! ‘X-Men’? Yes! All sorts of different films. ‘American Beauty’? Yes! I don’t know if I could pull off a Kevin Spacey, but I’ll try!”

[From FemaleFirst]

Crawford admits his pretty-boy image can limit him but he wants to rise above it and play meatier roles, and you can’t blame him for that. I don’t think Chase has the kind of leading-boy looks that will translate to leading-30 something man looks, so he would do well to concentrate of the art of acting. For the time being, he’s got the girls, and boys in alot of cases, swooning, so at least he can make some money on that before he has to worry about just how good his acting chops are. His healthly dose of confidence certainly won’t hurt, either.

He told VMAN magazine: “There are a lot of adverse effects of being a certain type, which I am. Look, I wouldn’t be in the business if I didn’t feel I had what it takes to have longevity.

“Everyone has a certain castability, or quality they’re always going to have to fight. I think the best remedy is to reinvent yourself. I’m not going to take the same type of role in the future.”

[From FemaleFirst]

I actually find it refreshing to hear an actor from an all-the-pretty-people, teen geared show like Gossip Girl talking about looking forward to something more than playing the hottie in a slew of teen movies. Zac Efron doesn’t seem to be worried about much more than what his next musical for Disney will be, which is what we’re used to hearing out of these pretty young things. Having the ambition to reach for better roles and the ability to play them the way that Kevin Spacey has done is admirable. Just steer clear of spanking club-boy’s bare asses in eastern European countries and you should be fine, Chase.

Chase Crawford is shown below on the set of “Gossip Girl” on 10/14/08. Kevin Spacey is shown on the set of Shrink on 6/19/08. Credit: Fame. Chace is also shown at the Filth and Wisdom premiere on 10/14/08. Credit: WENN

There are some people that I really don’t want to acknowledge having a private life. Former school teachers. Bus drivers. Politicians. Really anyone I was introduced to before the age of 23. Seeing them as anything other than wholesome, one-dimensional people really freaks me out. And while I’ve never met Kevin Spacey, seeing him as anything other than a guy who’s super into acting (and may have some vague private proclivities of his own) really messes with my head. I have no ability to imagine him as anything other than one of his characters.

So I’m going to assume he was just playing a really unusual, sexually vivacious guy the other night. It was research for a role, and right after this he’s going to play some sexually pent-up father. But probably not. Spacey was spotted (and very clearly photographed) at a party in Croatia a few nights ago where he pulled down another guy’s pants and groped him.

KEVIN SPACEY shocked revellers at a wild party in Croatia when he pulled a male pal’s trousers down and groped his buttocks.

The American Beauty star was snapped on holiday in Hvar getting to grips with the bare butt as his friend lay across his lap.

An onlooker said: “Kevin looked like he was a having a brilliant time.

“Most of his friends were laughing, but I couldn’t see the face of the man whose butt it was.”

In 2004, the Oscar-winning actor – who’s also Artistic Director at London’s Old Vic theatre – sparked speculation into his private life after claiming he was mugged while walking his dog on Clapham Common at 4am.

[From the Sun]

Okay before you get all judgy, who amongst us can honestly say he or she hasn’t yanked down a guy’s pants and played a little grabity? Damn near all of you, and don’t think for a second I don’t know it. To be fair, we really can’t see the face of the guy being fondled, but his butt doesn’t seem upset or anything. I have a degree in criminology and I can state as an absolute almost-professional opinion that it appears everyone involved was totally alright with this. Though I will admit they probably didn’t want the pictures ending up on the internet. At least Kevin Spacey didn’t.

We can’t post the pictures here, but you can see them on Mr. Paparazzi’s site. I probably don’t have to state this, but the naked guy’s butt is NSFW, depending on the laxity of your internet guys.

Here’s Kevin Spacey on set of his new movie (WENN notes he’s “with a double chin”) in L.A. on July 15th. Images thanks to WENN.

Kevin Spacey has kept a relatively low profile in the last few years, choosing to focus on theater instead of movies. Since 2003 he has been the artistic director of London’s Old Vic Theatre, after directing its opening production of Cloaca. Since then Spacey – born in New Jersey – has spent most of his time in London. It seems that he’s been very much accepted by the Brits, as the University of Oxford just named Spacey its Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theater.

Spacey will succeed Shakespearean actor and “Star Trek: The Next Generation” star Patrick Stewart when the new academic year starts in October. Previous holders of the post, endowed by theater impresario Mackintosh, include composer Stephen Sondheim, playwright Alan Ayckbourn and actress Diana Rigg.

In a statement, Spacey said he was delighted to be appointed to the one-year post, which requires him to give lectures, workshops and seminars at the 800-year-old university.

“It really is an honor for me to have been invited to follow such illustrious names and take up this role at Oxford,” Spacey said. “The university is steeped in tradition and has a great heritage in the arts, and I look forward to working with the students and staff.”

The college’s master, Roger Ainsworth, said Spacey was “a truly international star and will bring an enormous wealth of talent and experience in both film and theater to bear on the role. He will be a huge draw for the student population of Oxford and to the wider public, too,” Ainsworth said.

[From the Huffington Post]

Talk about taking your craft seriously. As prestigious as it is to win an Academy Award (Spacey’s won two), being asked to teach at Oxford is even more of an honor. Though I don’t think it comes with anything shiny that you can stick on your mantel. What an awesome tribute to Spacey’s skills, and an exciting way for his students to spend the next year.

Here are Kevin Spacey and Benicio Del Toro at the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation Third Annual Gala Dinner at Hampton Court Palace in London, England on June 7th. Images thanks to WENN.

Home of the Blind Item that reads like Braille Holy Moly reports:

A mole’s gay friend has recently hooked up with a lovely new chap. The only cloud on their loved-up horizon comes in the form of the new chap’s ex, who took the break-up extremely badly and has resorted to various forms of emotional blackmail, late night phone whining and increasingly-stalky behaviour.

The harassment continues. It doesn’t help that the ex-boyfriend is an Oscar-winning actor who is much respected amongst London theatre circles.

Yes, it’s the usual suspect…

Ladies and germs it ain’t NASA, it ain’t the International Space Station, it’s America one and only undercover satellite Kevin Spacey … Building the world’s largest glass closet: one shiny brick at a time.

From his early days talking his Moms to the Oscars, holding disingenuous ‘I aint gay’ GQ interviews through his adventures with 3am “dog walking” in cruisey Hampstead Heath – nothing can stop our Artistic Ambassador to English Theatrical World as he waves gleefully to all and sundry (including some very sundry characters indeed) rom inside his transparent wardrobe. Get a Lion and A Witch in there and he’s all set to play with Mr.Tumnus.

Famous for handing out his phone number to every cute waiter in London (on 20 pound notes at the end of meals) Kevvo Spacey proves that Ian McClellan’s work has hardly begun. Still there’s nothing like a restraining order, ASBO, or full blown court case to turn Cheeky knowing silence into The Trials of Oscar Wilde, luckily Gay-Pax has chosen a way better century.