Director defends choice of Kevin Spacey in first lead role since trial

Kevin Spacey is returning to the screen in his first leading role since sexual assault allegations derailed his career – and director Michael Zaiko Hall has no qualms about the casting decision.

The two-time Oscar winner has been cast as the title character in the indie thriller “Peter Five Eight,” currently available for purchase on demand.

“Of course, it's a controversial choice, if you will,” Hall told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Friday. “We were very aware of what we were getting into by presenting this to Kevin, but we knew it would be in the best interest of the film. The film would be much more compelling with Kevin as Peter.

Last summer, Spacey was acquitted by a London court of nine counts of sexual misconduct brought against him in connection with alleged incidents between 2001 and 2013 with four men in their 20s and 30s.

The 64-year-old former “House of Cards” star denied the charges, which included sexual assault, indecent assault and causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without their consent.

The trial followed years of similar allegations made by other men – now more than 50 in total – dating back four decades and ranging from harassment to attempted rape.

Hall told THR that he thought much of what Spacey was accused of was “disproportionate,” saying the level of the allegations was not comparable to those against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and other high-profile cases.

“I don’t think Kevin is a Harvey Weinstein. I don’t think Kevin is a Bill Cosby,” Hall said. “I would go so far as to say I don’t even think Kevin is an Armie Hammer. I've read Armie Hammer's writings and, as an amateur student of psychology, I think the man is a psychopath. I think there is sadism and cruelty there. With Kevin, there's none of that. … He’s really a nice man. That was my assessment of his character.

Following last month's release of the documentary series “Spacey Unmasked” – currently streaming on Max – actors including Sharon Stone, Liam Neeson and F. Murray Abraham have gone public with their support for their friend's return to Hollywood.