Despite the scandal, the 39-year-old actress admits she still has fond memories of working on 'American Beauty'.
- June 6, 2018
AceShowbiz - Actress Mena Suvari is still trying to process the "shocking" and "heart-wrenching" allegations of sexual misconduct filed against her American Beauty co-star Kevin Spacey.
The Oscar winner has retreated from the limelight ever since Anthony Rapp claimed Spacey had pinned him down on a bed in his apartment when the Star Trek: Discovery castmember was just 14.
The claims, which were made public in late October (17), cost the acting veteran his starring role on Netflix drama series House of Cards and he was replaced by Christopher Plummer in Ridley Scott's Getty kidnapping movie All the Money in the World, while police in the U.K. have since also launched investigations into a number of other criminal complaints made against Spacey.
Now Mena, who portrayed Spacey's onscreen infatuation in the 1999 drama, has broken her silence about her old co-star's alleged behaviour, which came as a complete surprise to the 39-year-old.
"I think with everything that I've been seeing that everyone's been going through, it's shocking," she told Today show co-host Megyn Kelly. "It's really heart-wrenching".
Suvari is hopeful the ongoing discussion surrounding movements like #MeToo and Time's Up will result in a real change in attitudes regarding sexual misconduct in the future.
"It's important to focus on the conversation that's happening and the healing, the victims - the right thing that's to come out of this," she continued. "That's sort of what I try to hope for and focus on the most. It's something that we're truly changing and moving out of".
However, despite the Spacey scandal, Suvari still has fond memories of her time on director Sam Mendes' Academy Award-winning movie, which also starred Annette Bening, Chris Cooper, and Allison Janney.
"For me, having the opportunity to work on American Beauty was something that was so special and so beautiful," she shared. "I was so young and was so grateful to have a job. And to be working with such experienced individuals. Everyone on that set was wonderful to me. I had a beautiful experience working on that film".
