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 But rather than tempering an uproar over the
allegation, Spacey's combination of an apology with a statement
going public about his sexual orientation stirred a backlash
against the actor as Hollywood found itself embroiled in yet
another sex scandal.
Adding fuel to the latest controversy was news on Monday that
Netflix will soon end the landmark political drama "House of
Cards," which stars Spacey as a corrupt and closeted bisexual
U.S. president.
Netflix Inc did not give an explicit reason for deciding to air
just one more season of "House of Cards" before pulling the plug
on the Emmy-winning, critically acclaimed show, its first
original hit series.
Netflix spokeswoman Karen Barragan said the determination was
made months ago, long before the allegation surfaced against
Spacey, 58, who is also a Tony-winning actor and former creative
director of London's famed Old Vic theater.
But the internet streaming service and the show's producers
issued a joint statement saying they were "deeply troubled" by
the accusation leveled against Spacey by actor Anthony Rapp, 46,
a member of CBS's new "Star Trek: Discovery" series.
According to Rapp, in an interview published late on Sunday by
BuzzFeed, Spacey in 1986 made an unwanted sexual advance toward
him when he was just 14 at the time.
Rapp said the encounter occurred after a party Spacey hosted at
his New York apartment, where he said Spacey, then 26, found him
watching TV alone at the end of the night when other guests had
left, then carried him to a bed and lay down on top of him.
Rapp said he had the impression that Spacey was drunk, pushed
him away and left.
"He was trying to seduce me," Rapp told BuzzFeed. "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 just starting his career on Broadway in a production of
"Precious Sons" at the time and went on to star in the hit
musical "Rent." Spacey was then appearing in a Broadway revival
of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night."
LATEST HOLLYWOOD SEX SCANDAL
Rapp told BuzzFeed he remained unnerved by the experience
decades later and felt compelled to come forward after dozens of
women recently accused movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and several
other Hollywood figures of sexual assault and sexual harassment.
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Weinstein, who has since been expelled from the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences and the Producers Guild of America, has
denied engaging in non-consensual sex with anyone.
Spacey said in a Twitter post on Sunday that he was "beyond
horrified" by Rapp's account, which he said he did not recall.
"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," Spacey tweeted.
Spacey went on to say that Rapp's story "had encouraged me to
address other things in my life."
"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, I now choose to live life as a gay
man," wrote Spacey, who had not previously addressed his sexuality
publicly.
Spacey immediately came under fire on social media for what many saw
as a disingenuous conflation of an apology for sexual misconduct
with a public acknowledgement of being gay.
"Coming-out stories should not be used to deflect from allegations
of sexual assault," said Sarah Kate Ellis, president of the Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). "This is not a
coming-out story about Kevin Spacey, but a story of survivorship by
Anthony Rapp and all those who bravely speak out against unwanted
sexual advances."
A representative for Spacey did not immediately respond to a Reuters
request for comment.
An Oscar winner for "The Usual Suspects" and "American Beauty,"
Spacey is best known lately for his role as the ruthless fictional
president Frank Underwood in "House of Cards."
The series became Netflix's defining show when it launched in 2013,
upending traditional television viewership by making all episodes of
each season available for internet streaming at once.
Spacey will next be seen on the big screen playing Jean Paul Getty
in Ridley Scott's drama "All The Money in the World," scheduled for
release by Sony Pictures in December for possible awards
consideration.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles and Chris Michaud in New
York; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Grant McCool and Leslie
Adler)
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