Dame Judi Dench has spoken out to defend her "good friend" Kevin Spacey.
The 83-year-old actress admitted she didn’t "approve" of the way bosses on ‘All the Money in the World’ replaced the disgraced actor – who was accused of making unwanted sexual advances towards actor Anthony Rapp when he was just 14, prompting a string of other allegations against him – with Christopher Plummer because of the sexual misconduct claims because she feels it is the start of a slippery slope of rewriting history.
She said: "I can’t approve, in any way, of the fact that — whatever he has done — that you then start to cut him out of the films.
"Are we to do what happened when he was replaced with Christopher Plummer? Are we to do that throughout history?
"Are we to go back throughout history and anyone who has misbehaved in any way, or who has broken the law, or who has committed some kind of offense, are they always going to be cut out? Are we going to extrude them from our history? I don’t know….
"I don’t know about the conditions of it, but nevertheless he is, and was, a most wonderful actor. I can’t imagine what he is doing now. And [he’s] a good friend."
The ‘Red Joan’ actress also praised the 59-year-old actor – who was also fired from Netflix drama ‘House of Cards’ over the allegations – for the kindness he showed her when they worked together just after her husband, Michael Williams, passed away in 2001.
Speaking to reporters at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, she said: "I went to do ‘The Shipping News’ with Kevin Spacey, and Kevin was an inestimable comfort and never mentioned he knew I was in a bad way.
"He cheered me up and kept me going."
The ‘Skyfall’ star also hailed the "extraordinary moment of change" that the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements have heralded.
She said: "I think there are many things to be redressed and made right.
"It is an extraordinary moment of change, a sea change at the moment. And there are many more parts for women, which is very good indeed, and long may that go on."
Dame Judi Dench defends Kevin Spacey
