Kevin Spacey, who plays Jack Abramoff in "Casino Jack," told Niteside that he thinks many of the politicians who pointed fingers at the embattled lobbyist are hypocrites.
"The notion that throwing him in jail and all the people that he worked with and all the Senators that he gave money to, all the Congressmen that he gave money to who pointed their fingers and said, 'This is a terrible man' ... A lot of them are still there (in office). They haven't cleaned up a lot of the industry."
Speaking exclusively to Niteside at a special D.C. screening of the film last month, Spacey said his visit to Abramoff in prison was enlightening but he held off judgment.
"As an actor I can't make a judgment about someone I am going to play," he said. "What I discovered was, yes he did bad things. Yes, he crossed the line. Yes, it was about access, and yes, he has paid the price for that in prison."
Spacey said he aims to show the hypocrisy in politics. His aim is to not make Abramoff a sympathetic character but to make them human.
"[My goal is to] partly show how this kind of culture exists and for me not to sympathize but to humanize someone and make them a real person and a fully rounded character."
