By Helen Ruhlin
Staff Writer
Numerous allegations of sexual assault have swirled around the media this past week in regard to “House of Cards” lead actor, Kevin Spacey. Accusations began on BuzzFeed with Anthony Rapp, an established Broadway performer and actor who recently shed light on an unwanted sexual advance from Spacey back in 1986 when Rapp was only fourteen. Since Rapp came forward, many others have followed suit. At least eight other men have gone viral with their stories of inappropriate encounters, some including attempted rape throughout the last two decades.
Tony Montana also came forward with a horrifying story furthering Spacey’s unfitting behavior. Montana disclosed an event in a bar in 2003 where he recalled Kevin Spacey groping him and telling Montana he had “ownership.” Several other anonymous stories have reached the public, one including a fourteen-year-old in 1983, telling reporters that he and Spacey engaged in a sexual relationship that ended a year later when the actor tried to rape him. The acclaimed actor’s conduct is, however, not only limited to individual cases—his workplace and fellow crew often describe the set environment as both toxic and uncomfortable, mainly due to Spacey’s actions.
In an effort to protect his accredited role as an innocent man, many friends, fellow employees, and associates of Spacey have deflected the allegations. The immediate closure on production of the sixth season of “House of Cards” has since been announced by the Hollywood Reporter following the Rapp accusation. Netflix responded to the news by claiming that they were “deeply troubled” by Spacey’s actions and confirmed that the actor was no longer working on set. “House of Cards” premiered on Netflix back in 2013, and has since become one of the network’s most popular programs, with positive audience responses for the past several seasons.
Aside from television consequences, Spacey was also retracted from acceptance of an International Emmy Award that he was scheduled to receive at the end of the month. The International Emmy Award ceremony is set to be held on Nov. 20. The event honors the greatest shows that primarily began outside the U.S. and Spacey was set to be given the same award that Shonda Rhimes, “Grey’s Anatomy” showrunner, had received at the event last year.
Spacey initially responded to Rapp’s accusation through Twitter with an inadequate apology, noting his lack of recollection. He also made a point to announce his openness on the decision to “live as a gay man,” in wwhat seems like an attempt to distract from the past claims against him. This controversial twitter-apology spurred a great deal of backlash through social media with many tweeting their negative reactions; among some of the most well-known were Wanda Sykes and Richard Lawson describing Spacey as cruel. It is currently unclear what the next steps involve for the accused actor, however his former publicist has reported that Spacey is taking personal time at the moment to reflect and evaluate.
