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| Kevin Spacey Photo: Pinguino k |
Kevin Spacey has been accused of making sexual advances on Star Trek: Discovery star Anthony Rapp when the latter was just 14 years old. The younger actor gave his account in an interview with Buzzfeed. Spacey says he cannot remember the incident but has apologised for his behaviour.
According to Rapp, he was at a party in Spacey's home and was watching television in the bedroom when he realised that the other guests had left. He claims Spacey entered the room, lifted him up, and then lay down on top of him, apparently drunk. He said Spacey “was, like, pressing into me,” and that he recalls Spacey “tightening his arms”. Rapp managed to extricate himself and get to the bathroom. When he emerged Spacey was at the front door and asked him if he was sure he wanted to go. He then left.
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| Anthony Rapp Photo: Insomniacpuppy |
Rapp said that he found the incident deeply confusing, asking himself: "What was that? What am I supposed to do with it? What does it mean?" He said that as he got older he became increasingly aware of how fortunate he was that nothing worse happened. Two years after the incident occurred, he saw Spacey in Working Girl, following which he realised he would be unable to avoid the older actor because of his success. He was told that he had no legal recourse. He took the decision to go public with his story now because he felt inspired by women speaking out about Harvey Weinstein, and wanted to help break what he describes as "a conspiracy of silence".
In a statement, Spacey responded: "I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anothony Rapp as an actor. I am beyond horrified to hear his story. I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years."
The American Beauty star went on to say that he knows there are stories out there about him which have been fuelled by his protectiveness about his privacy, and went on to reveal that he's a gay man - something widely assumed within Hollywood circles for decades. He has been subject to extensive criticism for choosing to come out in this context, when it is widely felt that the focus should be on Rapp's claims.
Stories about Spacey include a claim by television presenter Heather Unruh that he assaulted one of her loved ones, something on which she has so far declined to elaborate.
Rapp grew up in the industry, appearing in Twister and A Beautiful Mind as a child actor. A queer man himself, he said that he saw Spacey's secrecy about his sexuality as hypocritical and considered him a fraud.
Spacey has worked as a mentor to young people in the US and the UK, where he was a celebrity ambassador for the Prince's Trust.
