Kevin Spacey Under Fire for Sexual Assault Accusations
The recent allegations surrounding Hollywood professionals have continued to grow, most notably the accusations against actor Kevin Spacey.
On October 29, the Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp came forward about his time as a 14-year-old boy on Broadway, and how he was sexually assaulted by Spacey.
Spacey, most well-known for his role as Frank Underwood on Netflix’s House of Cards, met Rapp in 1986. They were both working shows on Broadway, and met through mutual friends.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Rapp recalls that Spacey invited him “over to [Spacey’s] apartment for a party” and that towards the end of the night, Spacey “picked me up, placed me on his bed, and climbed on top of me, making a sexual advance.”
At the time, Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26.
Since BuzzFeed broke the story, members of the House of Cards cast and crew have spoken out about Spacey’s history with sexual harassment.
After the story about Rapp was published, Spacey tweeted that he did not remember whether it had happened. “But if I did behave then as he describes,” Spacey added, “I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.”
Spacey’s publicist claimed that Spacey is now “taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment,” before quitting her job.
According to BuzzFeed News, they have spoken to three sources about Spacey’s misconduct on set. They all described an “atmosphere in which Spacey was sexually inappropriate with young men who worked on the show,” and the Spacey “would be on set and he would make tons of jokes at young boys’ expense about them in flirtatious ways.”
Many believe that Spacey’s position of power on the House of Cards set allowed him to get away with harassment. His role as an executive producer and star of the drama put him on a pedestal, permitting all allegations to be swept under the rug.
However, Spacey’s history of sexual harassment and assault was not limited to Broadway and the famous Netflix drama.
Heather Unruh, a former Boston TV anchor, claims her son was raped by Spacey in July 2016.
Unruh spoke out about her 18-year-old’s son’s alleged assault at a press conference on Wednesday, November 8. She claimed that “Spacey bought him drink after drink and when my son was drunk, then Spacey made his move and sexually assaulted him.”
Unruh also stated the she and her son have decided to go public due to “because the climate has changed after the sexual accusations of sexual assault and harassment against Harvey Weinstein.” She added that now the “victims of sexual misconduct are no longer being blamed.”
Unruh’s son, now a sophomore in college, did not attend the press conference.
Ainsley Holman is a senior from Dallas, Texas. When not in school, she enjoys dancing and spending time with her friends.