The director behind Peter Five Eight, Kevin Spacey's comeback movie, has explained why he decided to cast the actor after he became the subject of serious allegations.
Last July, the House of Cards star was found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men after a four-week trial at Southwark crown court in England.
Now, just over six months later, Spacey is making his return to film with Peter Five Eight - a thriller/action flick that releases in March.
Speaking of the film, director Michael Zaiko Hall tells UNILAD: "From the very beginning, the film was envisioned as a 1940’s-style pulp melodrama.
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"An example of this would be the 1948 film Act of Violence, or the works of Jacques Tourneur - one of my favorite directors.
"These films have a certain style of performance, a certain type of music, a certain rhythm."
Alongside Spacey as part of the cast is Jet Jandreau - an obvious fit considering Hall had worked with her on the indie title Hotel Dunsmuir.
But why Spacey?
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Hall explains: "Now with Kevin - he came up early in casting discussions as the most perfect Peter on the planet. No one can play that role better than Spacey. As it turned out, Kevin is also a huge film buff and understood the references points, stylistic cues, and easter eggs in the script."
With Peter Five Eight being Spacey's first movie since the accusations first arose and the subsequent trial, there is, of course, a lot of attention on it.
And with that, there is a lot of apprehension when it comes to the actor's return to screen.
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But before deciding to cast the 64-year-old, is this something Hall felt?
"Naturally there were discussions amongst the producers about this," he tells UNILAD.
"It’s a sensitive topic, and we’re respectful to all sides. As flawed as it may be at times, I do believe in the criminal justice system.
"This is where innuendo and allegations are put under the microscope and looked at intensely from all angles. The allegations against him were put to the test and he was exonerated."
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Despite that, many people have already made their mind up about Peter Five Eight before it has even been released - something which Hall acknowledges.
"Before a frame of footage rolled on this film, we knew there would be certain people who would be against the film." he says.
"This was a given.
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"There will be voices online that say bad things about the movie and those involved, because they worked with Kevin. I do feel that they are a relatively small group."
The director added: " I don’t think artistic endeavors should be governed by negativity. They should be governed by inspiration."
But Hall is hoping to win people around when it comes to his latest project, pointing to Johnny Depp as an example.
"I would say that he [Spacey] cleared his name, and his work can be enjoyed again, for those who are interested," Hall says.
"This happened with Johnny Depp - the allegations were put under scrutiny, he prevailed and is back to work.
"If you’re a fan of Kevin’s filmography, this is a unique chance to see him in a new American leading role."
And Hall seems pretty happy with Spacey's role in Peter Five Eight, subsequently dubbing his performance as 'memorable'.
"The character of Peter embodies a lyrical malevolence that Kevin does better than anyone. This character is tailored to Kevin’s unique talents on the screen," he says.
"He had real fun with the role. It’s a memorable performance."
Peter Five Eight releases on March 22.
Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity, US News
Callum Jones