Anthony Rapp Accuses Kevin Spacey of Sexual Advance at Age 14; Spacey Responds

In a recent interview with BuzzFeed, Broadway star Anthony Rapp revealed that at a party in 1986, Kevin Spacey made a sexual advance towards him. Rapp at the time was just 14 and Spacey was 26.

The Rent star recounts the encounter as, "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. 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 was eventually able to squrim away and leave before anything else happened.

In the years since the incident, Rapp has only discussed it with close friends, but it has haunted him as Spacey's career blossomed. He tells BuzzFeed that he interacted with Spacey one other time at the 1999 Tony Awards, where Rapp was performing with You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Spacey was nominated. No words were spoken as the two passed by each other.

After the stories that have been brought up against Harvey Weinstein, Rapp felt it was time he finally come forward, saying "In 1986, these things weren't talked about very openly very much, except for maybe in an after-school-special kind of way. There's so much more openness about talking about these issues, and so many people are coming forward and sharing their stories. The oxygen in the room is there for us to really do something about it."

Spacey took to Twitter early this morning following the release of the article, adding a surprising twist to his statement. Spacey said in the post, "I'm beyond horrified to hear [Rapp's] story. I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave then 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."

"This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life," he continued. "As those closest to me know, in my life I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters 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 also to Twitter in a three-part follow-up statement, ending with that he has no further comment at this time.

Photo Credit: Linda Lenzi