Bernardo Bertolucci: Ridley Scott Should Be ‘Ashamed’ for Removing Kevin Spacey From ‘All the Money in the World’

Bernardo Bertolucci is known for courting controversy thanks to sexually explicit films such as “Last Tango in Paris,” and now the Italian director is making headlines for criticizing Ridley Scott for removing Kevin Spacey from his drama “All the Money in the World.” Speaking at the Bari International Film Festival (via Deadline), Bertolucci said Scott should be ashamed for his decision.

“When I learned that Ridley Scott had agreed to eliminate the scenes of ‘All the Money in the World’ in which Kevin Spacey was playing, I sent a message to editor Peter Scalia to tell Scott that he should be ashamed,” Bertolucci said. “And then I immediately wanted to make a film with Spacey.”

Bertolucci went on to clarify that he supports the #MeToo movement, and he even praised it for raising awareness about violence against women around the world.

Spacey was removed from Scott’s film and replaced by Christopher Plummer after being accused of sexual harassment and abuse by over a dozen men. In order to keep the film’s December 2017 release date, Scott reshot all of Spacey’s scenes with Plummer in a matter of weeks. The film was released on schedule and Plummer went on to earn an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.

Spacey has remained out of the spotlight since the first allegation from “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp was made against him in October 2018. The actor was subsequently fired from the Netflix drama series “House of Cards,” which will conclude its run with a sixth season featuring Robin Wright in the lead role.