Earlier this week Gabriel Byrne said production on The Usual Suspects was briefly suspended because of Kevin Spacey’s misconduct. Not true, director Bryan Singer told TMZ Thursday. Singer said the whole movie was shot in 35 days, and he’s not sure why Byrne would say otherwise. “I don’t know. It baffles me. I’ll ask him when I see him, and I do run into him quite often,†Singer said. “Kevin was a real good support system.†When TMZ asked if Singer would work with him again, he hedged: “These are loaded questions. These questions … people want to hear one answer or the other. He’s a guy that I helped launch his career. He’s an acquaintance of mine, and it depends on the project I guess.â€
Singer is currently in the middle of two scandals: A sexual-assault lawsuit, released Thursday night, and his firing from his latest film, Boheniam Rhapsody. The film replaced Singer with director Dexter Fletcher earlier this week. Amid rumors that Singer clashed with star Rami Malek, Singer claims he was fired for absences related to a parent’s illness. “It’s gonna be my film. Me and Rami are cool. We had two great weeks, and then I had two instances with my mother, I had to fly back to see her in the hospital — one in the hospital, one out of the hospital — and then eventually that took a toll on me,†he said. “And that didn’t allow me to get the best out of him and his fellow actors, that I knew I needed. I knew I needed the time off, and instead I was summarily fired. That’s what happened.†Singer said “there’s an option†to pursue legal claims against the studio for his firing, but that he’s not sure if he’d do it. “That’s usually not my style. That’s other people’s style.â€