The 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' actor is accused of being 'obtuse' as he says that the sexual misconduct allegations leveled at his 'Billionaire Boys Club' co-star affect the way he deals with women.

• Nov 22, 2018

AceShowbiz - Taron Egerton has landed in hot water for his #MeToo comments. In an interview with the Radio Times, the "Robin Hood" actor talked about the sexual misconduct allegations leveled against his "Billionaire Boys Club" co-star Kevin Spacey, who has since stayed away from the spotlight.

Saying that he was never treated inappropriately by Kevin, the newly-single British star said, "If I had been the subject of his advances, I don't think that would have been the greatest challenge to deal with. I don't think I would have felt rocked to the core by it."

Taron said that he remained in contact with Spacey after the production's over. "It's weird because he and I had stayed in touch; he had asked me to socialize," he shared. The 29-year-old said he didn't see Kevin, but he "didn't avoid" him, either.

While he wasn't "particularly surprised by" the claims against Kevin, Taron did admit that the allegations against his co-star and other Hollywood famous figures have made him examine his past behavior.

"Like a lot of people with a profile I was like, 'Holy s**t, what have I done since I was 18?' I have just become single again and I'm not in a place where I'm thinking about dating, but when I am, it will probably affect my thinking a bit," he said in the interview. "There are certainly situations where I avoid being alone with certain people."

The "Kingsman: The Secret Service" star has since been slammed by some people who find his reaction to the #MeToo movement lacking empathy. Catherine Mayer, president of the Women's Equality Party, tells HuffPost U.K. that Taron's approach to dealing with women is "shockingly obtuse."

Catherine adds that "Egerton's impulse is not to empathise with any of the victims or to question his own behaviours. Instead, he rushes to minimise the severity of the allegations against Kevin Spacey."

The Mary Sue's Vivian Kane also criticizes Taron. Noting that the "Rocketman" star "isn't alone in this way of thinking," she remarks, "But he is a high-profile representation of a certain type of person: the person who focuses on an accusation, without ever stopping to think about the action that preceded it."

She continues, "And if you never think about the action, then all accusations feel false as well as dangerous. I get that for men like Egerton, the sheer volume of allegations being made must feel improbable."

Taron has not responded to the backlash.