Kevin Spacey has confirmed a long-gestating rumor about his personal life.
And he’s also acknowledged his role in an alleged sexual assault.
On Sunday afternoon, actor Anthony Rapp opened up to Buzzfeed about an incident he says took place in 1986, during which time he was 14 years old.
Rapp told the outlet that he and Spacey (who was 26 years old at the time) were starring in separate Broadway productions and that Spacey invited Rapp to his apartment one night for a party.
However, out of boredom, the teenager ended up retreating to Spacey’s bedroom to watch the Tony Awards.
Rapp remained after everyone had left and looked up at one point to see Spacey standing in front of him, clearly very drunk.
“He picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold,” Rapp told BuzzFeed, adding:
“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.”
Rapp went on to star in Rent and currently has a role on Star Trek: Discovery.
Spacey is a two-time Oscar winner and multiple-time Emmy nominee for his role on House of Cards.
“He was trying to seduce me,” Rapp continued. “I don’t know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually.”
Why has Rapp come forward after all this time?
He says he’s been inspired by the women who have been sharing their awful stories of alleged assault at the hands of Harvey Weinstein.
Rapp, who has been living as an out gay man since 1992, says he shoved Spacey off him and ran to the bathroom.
“I was like, ‘What is happening?’ I saw on the counter next to the sink a picture of him having his arm around a man,” the actor says.
“So I think on some level I was like, ‘Oh. He’s gay. I guess.’ Then I opened the door, and I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to go home now.’
“He followed me to the front door of the apartment, and 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 says he hasn’t spoken to Spacey since, but has grown ever more sick about what transpired over the years since Spacey has climbed the ranks of the Hollywood elite.
In response to this allegation, Spacey has surprised the Internet via a statement that:
- Confirms he is gay.
- Doesn’t deny that he may have assaulted Rapp.
“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor,” Spacey wrote on Twitter, expounding as follows:
“I’m 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 as he described, 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.”
It has long been rumored that Spacey is gay.
But the intensely private star has refused to confirm this chatter.
Until now.
“This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life,” Spacey added.
“I know that there are other 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 romantic 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.”
