Kevin Spacey Comes Out To Brush Aside Molestation Accusation

Actor Anthony Rapp accused Kevin Spacey of making sexual advances on him when Rapp was 14-years-old. He detailed the incident in an interview with Buzzfeed.

Spacey invited Rapp to a nightclub. Somehow 14-year-old Rapp and his 17-year-old friend were able to get in with Spacey without showing any identification. Following that event, Rapp joined Spacey at his home for a party a few days later. When Rapp arrived, he found that he was the only child there, which he stated was usual given the types of acting jobs he took. He also did not know anyone there.

According to Rapp, he eventually went into Spacey’s bedroom and watched TV:

At some point, Rapp said he turned to see Spacey standing at the bedroom door. And that’s when he first realized that everyone else had left the party. They were alone.

“My memory was that I thought, Oh, everybody’s gone. Well, yeah, I should probably go home,” Rapp said. Spacey, he recalled, “sort of stood in the doorway, kind of swaying. My impression when he came in the room was that he was drunk.” Rapp doesn’t remember Spacey saying anything to him. Instead, Rapp said, “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.”

“He was trying to seduce me,” Rapp said. “I don’t know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually.”

Rapp recalled this all happening — Spacey appearing at the door, coming into the room, picking him up, and putting him on the bed — in one clumsy action, with Spacey landing at a slight angle on top of him. He said Spacey “was, like, pressing into me,” and that he remembers Spacey “tightening his arms.” But while he can’t recall exactly how long Spacey remained on top of him, Rapp said he was able to “squirm” away after a short period.

“It was a frozen moment,” Rapp said of the entire encounter, with a deep, exasperated sigh. “In terms of fight or flight or freeze, I tend to freeze.”

After pushing Spacey off him, Rapp remembered he was able to step into the bathroom and close the door. “I was like, ‘What is happening?’” he said. “I saw on the counter next to the sink a picture of him having his arm around a man. 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.”

As he walked home, “My head was spinning,” Rapp said. “I have a memory of turning around and [thinking], What was that? What am I supposed to do with it? What does it mean?”

He paused. “The older I get, and the more I know, I feel very fortunate that something worse didn’t happen,” he said. “And at the same time, the older I get, the more I can’t believe it. I could never imagine [that] anyone else I know would do something like that to a 14-year-old boy.”

Rapp admits that he does not recall certain things prior to and following the incident. Let us assume, however, that Rapp’s account happened as he described. The best case scenario for Spacey is that he was too drunk to realize this was a 14-year-old boy. The worst case scenario is that Spacey had done this before, inviting young actors to his home under the pretense of friendship while intending to have sex with them.

As I have noted before, actors like Corey Feldman and Elijah Wood have spoken about the hidden pedophilia within the Hollywood industry. Kevin Spacey is just another high-profile Hollywood power player facing these accusations. A few years ago, Bryan Singer faced similar accusations, and has a history of such claims dating back to his film Apt Pupil. Director Victor Salva, the man behind the Jeeper Creepers franchise, has had numerous accusations against him.

It would not be surprising to find that just as women and girls are preyed on, so are men and boys. They face a particularly difficult situation because in some instances their sexuality could be used against them to a tool of keeping them quiet. Likewise, some famous power player could hide his sexual orientation behind his fame, knowing that any young gay actor would have to out himself in order to make the accusation. For the men and boys who are not gay but were targeted, they face the same situation as their female counterparts: their careers could be over before they start should they come forward.

The most disturbing part about this is that it is an open secret within the industry. I know a few people involved in films, and I have heard stories like this over the years. Everyone with even a tangential connection with Hollywood has heard stories about this. Milo Yiannopoulos mentioned this in his infamous interview on Joe Rogan.

One would think that an actor like Kevin Spacey would handle the situation with care. If he were so drunk that he could not tell who he approached, that would at least explain away his behavior. Kevin Spacey released the following statement:

I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. 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 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.

That is sufficient. He does not admit to doing anything, yet offers an apology. Again, it is possible he was too drunk to know what he was doing. This leaves him enough room to explain himself later. That should have been the end of the statement, however, Spacey decided to swat away the accusation by coming out as gay:

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 closes to me know, in my life, I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic relationships 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.

Rapp was not a man at the time. He was a 14-year-old boy, and if you look at pictures of him from 1986 he looks younger than that. As generous as one can be in assuming Spacey was drunk, one can also assume he only acted drunk — after all, he is a good actor — as a cover in case Rapp did not respond well to the advance. It is possible Spacey specifically targeted Rapp because Spacey is sexually attracted to teen boys.

That attraction has nothing to do with being gay. Likewise, Spacey was 26-years-old at the time. That puts 12 years between the two, so the excuse that Spacey was young becomes invalid.

A few years ago, Spacey’s statement might have worked to shift the focus off the accusation. Fortunately, it appears no one is buying it. Numerous people and organizations have criticized Spacey’s statement for its insensitivity and obvious attempted misdirection.

What this means for Spacey is still open. He might end up a Hollywood pariah. His career might be over. It is also possible that given how Rapp described the events Hollywood may forgive Spacey for committing a drunken mistake. All of that hinges on whether Rapp remains the only person to accuse Spacey of trying to have sex with them when they were underage. If any other men or boys come forward, particularly young actors who worked with Spacey, then Spacey would definitely be done.

I would also like to note that many of the Hollywood people criticizing Spacey have worked within the industry for years. As I mentioned before, the sex abuse is an open secret within the industry, so I would say to all those people shaming Spacey now: where was your outrage 24 hours ago? Where was your outrage 5, 10, 20 years ago? You have been a part of the industry all this time. At least one of you knows for certain that a child was abused. Why did you not report it? Why did you not protect the children from those predators?

For all the posturing and outraging you are doing, keep in mind that people like you made this possible. If Harvey Weinstein knew that even an intern would report him to the cops rather than protect their career path, he would not have behaved as he did. All of you who heard first-hand accounts, saw something, heard something, and did nothing are the reason why this abuse happens. While it is great that you are speaking out now, do not pretend that you have not been at least complicit in covering up the abuse.