Multiple allegations of sexual harassment and abuse have been made against actor Kevin Spacey over the past week, stemming from an initial claim by fellow actor Anthony Rapp that Spacey made very aggressive advances against him when he was only 14 years old. At the time, Spacey was 26.
Spacey has since apologized to Rapp, claiming not to remember the incident, and denied all other allegations while openly coming out as gay. In response, a 48-year-old man wishing to remain anonymous has come forward to Vulture, the pop-culture arm of New York Magazine, saying that he had sexual relationship with Spacey in 1983, when the actor 24 and he was also 14.
The mostly unedited interview, which you can read online, is at times understandably graphic and upsetting. In it, the gentleman describes meeting Spacey in 1981 when the actor, then just starting out on Broadway, came to teach at the unnamed performance classes given at Saint Thomas Episcopal Church in Mamaroneck. While nothing untoward happened at the time, a chance encounter at Shakespeare in the Park two years later reportedly saw Spacey “in high seduction mode.” A sexual relationship began the next day, according to the man, lasting several months and terminating only when he says he narrowly fended off Spacey’s attempt to rape him.
Owing in part to the anonymous nature of the source, Vulture reports that they have confirmed that Spacey did indeed teach at the acting school in 1981, as well as many of the other details, and discovered that the source has openly spoken of the incidents as long ago as the 1990s.
As to why he has publically come forward now, the gentleman stated, “Knowing full well that he [Spacey] was continuing to do this, that he was out there at large, has made me feel ashamed. So that makes me want to talk.” He also argues that Spacey coming out is a narcissistic diversion, one that conflates pedophilia with homosexuality and in doing so harms the gay community.
Through his lawyer, Spacey has denied the allegations, but the effect may be minimal. Last Tuesday Netflix suspended production on the final season of Spacey’s House of Cards, and by Thursday evening he had been dropped as a client by his publicist, and reportedly also his talent agency. He has since announced that he has entered treatment for his behavior.