Covid-19: Kevin Spacey compares losing his acting gigs after sexual assault allegations to Coronavirus layoffs

Disgraced actor Kevin Spacey says he can relate to those who have lost their jobs in the pandemic. Photo / Getty Images

Kevin Spacey has compared losing his job after his sexual assault allegations to those who are without work amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 60-year-old actor was shunned from Hollywood in 2017 after he was accused of sexual misconduct by over a dozen men, and has now recalled the "painful" journey he went through, as he said his life was changed "in a matter of hours" after the allegations surfaced.

He said: "I don't think it will come as a surprise for anyone to say that my world completely changed in the fall of 2017."

"My job, many of my relationships, my standing in my own industry were all gone in just a matter of hours."

And Kevin - who had charges against him involving an 18-year-old boy dropped last July - also said he can "relate" to those who have lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, because he knows how it feels to "have your world suddenly stop".

He added: "I don't often like to tell people that I can relate to their situation because I think it undermines the experience that they may be having, which is their own unique and very personal experience.

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"But in this instance, I feel as though I can relate to what it feels like to have your world suddenly stop.

"And so while we may have found ourselves in similar situations, albeit for very different reasons and circumstances, I still believe that some of the emotional struggles are very much the same.

"And so I do have empathy for what it feels like to suddenly be told that you can't go back to work or that you might lose your job and that it's a situation that you have absolutely no control over."

The former 'House of Cards' star - who was axed from the show following the allegations against him - said he had "no idea what to do next" when he stopped being in the spotlight, and urged others to find the "positives" amid the global health crisis.

Speaking to the 'Bits & Pretzels' podcast, he explained: "I was so busy defining myself by what I did or what I was trying to do, that when it all stopped, I had no idea what to do next.

"I don't want to sugarcoat this devastating time that we're in, I am hoping that I can encourage you to see an opportunity in all of this and turn this into a positive."