Judi Dench defends 'good friend' Kevin Spacey

Veteran actor Judi Dench has said the firing of Kevin Spacey from the film "All the Money in the World" has set a bad precedent.

Director Ridley Scott had last year dropped Spacey from the film in wake of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment against him.

Scott later roped in Christopher Plummer to reshoot "House of Cards" star's scenes.

According to Variety, Dench, 83, who co-starred with Spacey in 2001 film "The Shipping News", said he was a "good friend" and had been an "inestimable comfort" who "kept me going" after the death of her husband Michael Williams.

"I can't approve, in any way, of the fact that - whatever he has done - that you then start to cut him out of the films," she said.

"Are we to do what happened when he was replaced with Christopher Plummer? Are we to do that throughout history? Are we to go back throughout history and anyone who has misbehaved in any way, or who has broken the law, or who has committed some kind of offense, are they always going to be cut out? Are we going to extrude them from our history? I don't know..." she added.

Dench said she considers Spacey a "most wonderful actor".

"I can't imagine what he is doing now," she added.