Kevin Spacey talks suicide prevention in third annual Christmas video

Dec. 24 (UPI) — Kevin Spacey released a Christmas Eve video message for a third consecutive year, this time using the opportunity to encourage suicide prevention.

Spacey, who was fired from Netflix series House of Cards following accusations of sexual assault from several men, including actor Anthony Rapp, released Christmas Eve videos in 2018 and 2019 using the Frank Underwood character from the series to make veiled references to his own life and legal woes.

The latest Christmas Eve video sees Spacey channeling the character for only the first line of the message: “That’s right, what would Christmas Eve be without a message from me?”

Spacey then switches to using his own voice to address the camera about people he has spoken with in the past year who have struggled with depression.

“A lot of people have reached out to me this past year and have shared their own struggles,” Spacey says. “And my ability to be there for them has really only been possible because of my own difficulties. And while it’s been a privilege to offer support, I have to say, frankly, it’s also been beyond my abilities, and it’s bigger than me.”

Spacey says some of those who he has spoken to have told him they’ve “contemplated taking their own lives.”

“And that’s enough for me to want to take an entirely different approach this year, to acknowledge their pain and say to anyone out there who’s struggling, or contemplating that idea: please, please do not take that step,” he says.

Spacey encourages anyone suffering from depression or suicidal ideation to find someone to talk to rather than acting on those impulses.

“And so I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, a great 2021, and say to all of those out there who might be suffering: It gets better. It does get better. Happy holidays, everyone.”

Rapp and another actor identified only by the initials C.D. filed a civil lawsuit against Spacey in September in New York. The suit alleges the plaintiffs endured psychological damage from abuses they suffered during encounters with Spacey in the 1980s.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office dropped a sexual assault case against Spacey in October 2019 after the death of one of his accusers.