Kevin Spacey, of House of Cards and American Beauty fame, found himself in some hot water after actor Anthony Rapp claims Spacey was "sexually aggressive" with him in 1986...when he was just 14 yeras old.
Rapp spoke with Buzzfeed news, saying Spacey "sort of stood in the doorway, kind of swaying. My impression when he came in the room was that he was drunk...He picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I don't, like, squirm away initially, because I'm like, 'What's going on? And then he lays down on top of me. [It was] a frozen moment ... In terms of fight or flight or freeze, I tend to freeze." Spacey allegedly held Rapp down as he did begin to struggle.
"He was trying to seduce me," Rapp recalls. The young actor did eventually get away, but the experience has stuck with him.
Spacey and Rapp were appearing on Broadway at the time, and Spacey (then 24 years old) was throwing a party. He invited Rapp, which is when the incident occurred.
"As I opened the door to leave, he was leaning on the front door[frame]. And he was like, "˜Are you sure you wanna go?' I said, "˜Yes, good night,' and then I did leave," Rapp said.
The allegations come as Hollywood is starting to reveal their experiences with sexual assault and harassment, especially surrounding Harvey Weinstein.
Kevin Spacey was quick to respond to the rumors, and the answer is incredibly powerful.
There have long been rumors about Kevin Spacey and his romantic life. The Oscar-winning actor has never been married, and his relationships have always been kept private. He dated Dianne Dreyer from 1992-2000, but other than that Spacey has not had any (public) long-term relationships.
After the allegations against him were exposed by Rapp, Spacey released a statement on Twitter.
"I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. I'm beyond horrified to hear this 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 behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years.
This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life. I know that there are stories out there about me and that some have been fueled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy. As those closest to me know, in my life I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man. I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behavior. - Kevin Spacey"
Spacey's statement sounds like a genuine apology, though some people are claiming his decision to come out as a gay man was a way to deflect from the assault.