There was a lot of fake laughter happening around Spacey while making the sci-fi FPS
In 2014, before allegations of sexual misconduct against him became public, actor Kevin Spacey was one of the biggest names out there thanks to Netflix’s House of Cards. And his role in that year’s Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare was a highlight. But now, it feels like a problematic relic. However, the game’s director, Glen Schofield, doesn’t think the shooter is “tainted,” even if Spacey was “weird” to work with.
In an interview with PC Gamer, Glen Schofield was asked about Spacey’s involvement in Advanced Warfare as the shooter’s main villain. In 2014, Spacey delivered a fantastic performance that was praised by many critics and fans. In 2017, his role in the game became less celebrated after accusations of sexual harassment and assault were levied against the actor. While years later, he was ultimately not found liable for harassment and was acquitted of assault, Spacey’s reputation was still heavily damaged, and he appeared in fewer film and TV roles. Despite that, Schofield told the outlet that Spacey’s inclusion “doesn’t taint the game.”
“At the time, that’s the actor I wanted,” said Schofield. “When he was on set, and we said action, he was unbelievable. He just is a great actor, right? Then when we said cut, you could tell the video games weren’t his thing. We had to get him a trailer. So he had a trailer outside that he would go in and he was a little bit more difficult, I would say.”
On set filming @CallofDuty #AdvancedWarfare! pic.twitter.com/2Q0jZPkiwT
— Kevin Spacey (@KevinSpacey) May 9, 2014
Advanced Warfare’s director did claim that Spacey “got a little weird once in a while on the set.” Schofield added, “He would say things that just weren’t proper. We all had to fake laugh. There was some stuff.”
Schofield explained that the initial pitch for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare 2 involved Spacey’s character returning in some form despite dying in the previous game. However, Activision passed on that pitch, which he’s grateful for now.
“We were going to go there,” Schofield admitted, “and I’m glad we didn’t, because it was like two months before we would have shipped when the scandal broke.”