This Kevin Spacey scandal has been a tough one, hasn’t it?
It’s not easy to hear that such a talented, beloved public figure has been accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy.
Though obviously it would be much, much harder to be that 14-year-old boy, and then to be that boy who, decades later, was brave enough to come forward with his story.
And that’s just one of the many reasons why Anthony Rapp is an incredible human being.
In an interview published Sunday night, Anthony told his story about Kevin Spacey, about how they met while they were both doing their own shows on Broadway.
Anthony was doing a show called Precious Sons while Kevin was doing a revival of Long Day’s Journey into Night.
Again, he was only 14 during this time, but he says that his mother allowed him to attend parties and get-togethers with his fellow actors, and that’s how he first met Kevin, who was 26 then.
Eventually Kevin invited Anthony to a party at his apartment, but when Anthony arrived, he realized that not only did he not really know anyone there, he was also the only kid in attendance.
So he just went into the bedroom to watch TV by himself.
After a while, Kevin came into the bedroom – Anthony said that he appeared to be drunk, and he realized then that everyone else had left the party.
“He picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold,” he recalled.
“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.”
Anthony says that Kevin was “trying to seduce” him, but “I don’t know if I would have used that language.”
“But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually.”
After a little while, he said he was able to “squirm” away, then ran to the bathroom. When he came out, he told Kevin he was leaving.
He asked him if he was sure he wanted to leave, and he was, so he did.
Today, Anthony says that he feels “very fortunate that something worse didn’t happen,” but he still “can’t believe” what actually did happen.
Just a few hours after the interview was published, Kevin shared an apology on Twitter – well, an apology of sorts, anyway.
Like, there’s definitely a reason his statement is getting all sorts of backlash.
He kicked things off by stating that he was “a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor,” and that he’s “beyond horrified to hear his story.”
“I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago,” he continued.
“But if I did behave 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.”
Then, just for fun, he came out, saying that “I choose now to live as a gay man.”
His decision to combine those two statements, the apology and the coming out is … well, it’s not great.
Some people are accusing him of trying to shift the focus of the story from the alleged assault, and some are accusing him of trying to justify his advances towards, you know, a child.
But while he may have been trying to deflect, it doesn’t look like it’s working so well for him.
Especially because Netflix just canceled House of Cards.
The show is currently filming its sixth and final season, and while it’s been reported that the decision to cancel wasn’t related to the new Kevin Spacey scandal, you kind of have to wonder, right?
Netflix and Media Rights Capital, a producer for the show, released a joint statement to express that they “are deeply troubled by last night’s news concerning Kevin Spacey.”
“In response to last night’s revelations, executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported.”
They added that “As previously scheduled, Kevin Spacey is not working on set at this time.”
But that’s not all – House of Cards creator Beau Willimon has also issued a statement.
“Anthony Rapp’s story is deeply disturbing,” he said.
“During the time I worked with Kevin Spacey on House of Cards, I neither witnessed nor was aware of any inappropriate behavior on set or off.”
“That said,” he continued, “I take reports of such behavior seriously and this is no exception.”
“I feel for Mr. Rapp and I support his courage.”
Maybe they’d planned to cancel House of Cards, maybe not.
But regardless … what a mess, right?