Sharon Stone explains why Kevin Spacey should be forgiven

Sharon Stone has doubled down on her opinion that Kevin Spacey should be forgiven and allowed to return to Hollywood.

The 66-year-old Basic Instinct actress raised eyebrows in May when she argued the American Beauty star, 64, should be welcomed back into the fold.

Kevin's career imploded in 2017 when allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him, however he later successfully defended himself in court.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Sharon said Kevin has taken steps to make amends, and argued, "I said that after being in therapy for seven years, not being allowed to work, losing his home, losing everything, he should be allowed to come back.

"He's reached out to everybody he's offended and said he's sorry. Kevin grabbed people by their genitals. Many people. But nobody (has publicly said) he's raped them or forced them into a sexual encounter."

She continued, "There's so much hatred for him because in his case it was man-on-man. That's why he's not allowed to come back. Because he offended men."

She added, "But can I tell you how many men have grabbed my genitals in my lifetime? A lot more than Kevin Spacey has grabbed men's genitals. And none of them has ever apologised to me."

In the same interview, Sharon reviewed the changes the #MeToo movement has made to her industry, saying that she thinks men and women are fundamentally different.

She commented, "We really need to delineate between what's a misdemeanour and what's a felony. That needs to happen. There's a difference between a slap on the ass and rape. They aren't the same thing."