After actor Anthony Rapp recently accused Kevin Spacey of sexually assaulting him when he was a 14-year-old in 1986, eight people from the crew of the popular Netflix show House of Cards have now made accusations of sexual misconduct by the Oscar winning actor. These team members have chosen to remain anonymous fearing retaliation.
According to a report in Vulture, a production assistant on House of Cards has come forward to state that he was sexually assaulted by Spacey during the shooting of an early season of the show while he was driving the actor to the set.
The PA states that - while in the driver’s seat Spacey, who is the star of House of Cards and an Executive Producer on it, allegedly put his hand down the assitant’s pants without his permission. In a statement to CNN, the PA said, “I was in a state of shock. He was a man in a very powerful position on the show and I was someone very low on the totem pole and on the food chain there.”
All the eight employees of House of Cards who spoke to CNN, described Spacey’s behaviour as “predatory”, saying it included nonconsensual touching and crude comments and the actor targeted production staffers who were typically young and male.
Vulture has also reported that a former acting student under Spacey has called him a pedophile and alleged that the actor attempted to rape him when he was just 15. The person, who does not wish to be named, admits to having had a sexual relationship with Spacey and reveals that once the actor tried to rape him, but he was able to fight him off.
Meanwhile the makers of House of Cards - Netflix and Media Rights Capital have issued statements after fresh accusations against Spacey were made by crew members on the show.
“When the allegations broke about Kevin Spacey on Sunday night, in conjunction with MRC, we sent a representative to set on Monday morning. Netflix was just made aware of one incident, five years ago, that we were informed was resolved swiftly. On Tuesday, in collaboration with MRC, we suspended production, knowing that Kevin Spacey wasn’t scheduled to work until Wednesday. Netflix is not aware of any other incidents involving Kevin Spacey on-set. We continue to collaborate with MRC and other production partners to maintain a safe and respectful working environment. We will continue to work with MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the production, and have nothing further to share at this time.”Netflix
The statement from Media Rights Capital says: “We are deeply troubled to learn about these new allegations that are being made to the press concerning Kevin Spacey’s interaction with members of the crew of House of Cards. As the producer of the show, creating and maintaining a safe working environment for our cast and crew has always been our top priority. We have consistently reinforced the importance of employees reporting any incident without fear of retaliation and we have investigated and taken appropriate actions following any complaints”.
It goes on to state:
“For example, during our first year of production in 2012, someone on the crew shared a complaint about a specific remark and gesture made by Kevin Spacey. Immediate action was taken following our review of the situation and we are confident the issue was resolved promptly to the satisfaction of all involved. Mr. Spacey willingly participated in a training process and since that time MRC has not been made aware of any other complaints involving Mr. Spacey.”
The company also says that they have provided legal advisors and counselors to the team: “In response to the current situation, on Tuesday of this week, MRC installed an anonymous complaint hotline, crisis counselors, and sexual harassment legal advisors for the crew. MRC will continue to thoroughly investigate all current claims and any new claims that are formally brought to our attention, and will continue to monitor our own production and practices to ensure that our cast and crew feel safe and supported.”
(Source: Vulture)
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