Brian Cox says Kevin Spacey shouldn't be 'punished endlessly' by Hollywood: 'Forgive and forget'

Brian Cox is joining the chorus of voices who are calling for disgraced actor Kevin Spacey's return to Hollywood.

"I just think Kevin had certain things which he couldn’t or didn’t admit to, and I think it was a strain on him in many ways. And for me, that was Kevin’s only difficulty," Cox, 78, told The Hollywood Reporter during a new interview. "But he’s a very fine actor, and I like Kevin a lot. He’s very funny."

Cox went on to say that he recently met up with Spacey, 65, with whom he once shared the screen in the 1994 Disney film, Iron Will.

"I think he’s been through it," Cox shared. "He’s had the kicking that some people think he deserved. He’s ready to get back in the saddle again, and people are trying to stop him from doing that. And I really do go back to, 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.'"

Related: Kevin Spacey says he's broke, tears up over home foreclosure: 'I can't pay the bills that I owe'

Cox, who has long been an outspoken critic of "cancel culture," argued that Spacey deserves the chance to make a comeback.

"Maybe he got too out of hand, but I don’t think he should be punished endlessly for it," said the Succession star. "There should be a case of forgive and forget. Let’s move on. I think he should be given the opportunity to come back to work."

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Spacey has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen men since 2017. He was found not guilty in a 2023 case in London in which four men alleged he sexually assaulted them between 2001 and 2013, and prior to that, he was found not liable in a 2022 civil lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp, who accused Spacey of molesting him in 1986 when he was 14, and Spacey was 26. Spacey is currently involved in another civil trial in the U.K. in which he's accused of sexually assaulting a man in 2008; he has denied the allegations. Spacey came out as gay amid the original 2017 accusation by Rapp.

This is not the first time Cox has addressed Spacey's controversies. In his 2022 memoir, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, Cox described the Usual Suspects star as "a great talent, but a stupid, stupid man." He claimed that Spacey's sexuality was an "open secret" when they worked together in 1994, adding, "as was the fact that he could be somewhat predatory."

Related: Kevin Spacey's new movie has London premiere canceled after theater learns it's his film

Cox additionally shared his opinion that it was a "big mistake" for Spacey to "come out at the same time as he was being accused of sexual misconduct, which was not the best thing to do and lost him a lot of support from the gay community."

Cox has also been memorably vocal when it comes to his stance on "cancel culture," which he has called "a virus" and "a kind of modern day McCarthyism." The actor previously came to the defense of Bill Murray, amid allegations of inappropriate behavior on the set of Being Mortal, and Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling, who frequently faces backlash for espousing anti-trans rhetoric.

During his conversation with THR, Cox lamented, "Everything’s about this cancel culture now, and everybody’s obsessed with this whole thing about how you’re supposed to behave."

Related: Brian Cox loves how his Lord of the Rings anime movie 'closes the door on patriarchy'

He claimed that the issue has even impacted his own work, recalling an experience that occurred earlier this year, when he was rehearsing for the play A Long Day’s Journey Into Night, which debuted in London in April. Cox explained that during the rehearsal process, he felt himself grow frustrated.

"I got very angry at myself. I always get angry at myself when I’m learning my lines," he explained. "So somebody reported me to Equity here in the U.K. for getting angry. I just thought, 'Who was I angry at?' I wasn’t angry at anybody in particular. I was only angry at me trying to deal with this f---ing difficult play!"

He added, "It’s just bizarre nowadays. Nobody knows how to be spontaneous anymore.

A representative for Cox did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly's request for further comment.

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