Exposed: James Marsden Supports Drake Bell's Alleged Abuser Brian Peck, Claims 'His Intentions Are Always Good'
Sonic actor James Marsden has made an emotional plea to the court not to sentence his close friend, Brian Peck, to prison time. This plea was given after Peck was accused of lewd acts with a minor, a serious allegation that has garnered significant attention.
The incident dates back to 2003, when Peck faced a criminal case related to the accusations. In a show of support, Marsden, along with others, wrote letters advocating for leniency in the acting coach's sentencing.
“The abuse was extensive, and it got pretty brutal,” Drake Bell said in the documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, claiming the abuse occurred multiple times and has caused him a lot of pain throughout his life.
“I often look back at that time and wonder how in the world I survived," he said.
Bell also revealed that he turned to drugs and alcohol at the time.
According to RadarOnline, the documentary's producers revealed Marsden and several others tried to help the alleged pedophile avoid prison time.
Ahead of his sentencing, Marsden wrote a letter to the court to praise Peck’s character.
It is unclear how much Marsden knew about the allegations when he wrote the letter.
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“I can easily say that Brian is one of the reasons why I have been as successful as I have been in this industry," Marsden told the court. "I was lucky enough to have been graced with Brian’s guidance, uncommissioned guidance I might add, and support in pursuing an acting career.”
He added, “I don’t mean to dramatize this but I am speaking wholeheartedly about a man whose heart is pure and no matter what you’re talking about, his intentions are always good. He has such an amazing capacity to care about people. This, I find, is very rare. Especially in Hollywood. Brian genuinely cares about other human beings.”
“When I first heard the news of Brian’s arrest I couldn’t breathe. I could not believe what was happening. It was unimaginable,” the X-Men actor continued. “I’ve known Brian for 14 years and never once did I ever see any sign of him being capable of something like this. I have lived at his house for months and shared hotel rooms with him and never once did he ever make me feel compromised or uncomfortable in any way.
"I don’t know what it would take to have something like this occur, whatever it is, it is extremely out of character for Brian.”
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Marsden worked with Peck on two films.
Other actors, including Alan Thicke and Joanna Kerns, wrote letters defending Peck.