Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey has been on trial in New York since Thursday for alleged sexual assault. At the start of the civil proceedings, actor Anthony Rapp took a seat on the witness stand. Rapp had 2017 in the course of the
Rapp was in the witness stand for around an hour and reported an “alarming” encounter with the Oscar winner. It is said to have happened when the 50-year-old Rapp was 14 years old. He was in New York at the time trying to gain a foothold in the local theater scene as a young actor. When he came into contact with Spacey and was invited to a party in his apartment, he thought nothing of it.
But when he arrived at the party, Rapp found that only much older people were present. However, he stayed – with serious consequences: when the other guests had left, Spacey came to him and picked him up – “like a groom carries his bride over the threshold”. Spacey seemed dazed, Rapp said. Spacey then reportedly leaned on him “with his full weight” and held his arms while he pressed his crotch to Rapp’s waist.
“That’s when I knew something was wrong. I got the feeling that I had to get out of there. But I also felt frozen,” said Rapp on the witness stand. He finally managed to “squirm out from under him”. But Spacey got in his way, blocked the door and asked, “Are you sure you want to leave?” Only then was he able to leave the apartment.
When asked why he didn’t tell his mother or authorities about the alleged harassment at the time, Rapp replied that he was in a bind, according to the report. Because at that time he had not yet come out as gay and also feared that the allegations against Spacey could harm his future career.
Rapp will take the witness stand again next Tuesday before being questioned by Spacey’s attorneys. The 63-year-old actor will then give his version of the 1986 incident under oath. Anthony Rapp is suing Spacey for $40 million in damages.
