Crime
Would Anthony Rapp Meet With Kevin Spacey Now?
Perhaps -- and only if Spacey would "fully own what he did," Rapp says of the man he accused of sexual assault.
October 21 2018 4:52 AM EST
October 21 2018 1:07 AM EST
trudestress
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Perhaps -- and only if Spacey would "fully own what he did," Rapp says of the man he accused of sexual assault.
A year after coming forward to accuse Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct, Anthony Rapp says he'd be willing to meet with Spacey - under certain circumstances.
"Somebody asked me a while ago, if he did want to talk to me, would I," the actor told BuzzFeed News in an interview published Wednesday. "And I think I would. I guess I'd have to really think about the circumstances and the environment and the safety factor. ... I mean, potentially. I wouldn't rule that out. I would need him to fully own what he did. Not just to me, but to so many people."
Rapp last year detailed an incident that he said happened in 1986, when he was 14 and Spacey 26. He described being at a party at the older actor's New York home where Spacey physically picked him up, put him on a bed, and lay down on top of him. Rapp was able to get away, but the incident haunted him.
When Rapp's interview about the incident was published, Spacey responded by coming out as gay and saying he didn't remember doing any such thing, but if he did, it was "inappropriate drunken behavior" for which he owed Rapp an apology. After Rapp came forward, numerous other men accused Spacey of sexual harassment and/or assault.
Spacey has issued some denials, while also checking into a clinic known for treatment of sex addiction. He also lost his job on the TV series House of Cards and was edited out of the film All the Money in the World, and he has kept a low profile. There is still a possibility he could face criminal charges.
In the new interview, Rapp went on to discuss whether men should have a role in the #MeToo movement. "I don't want to insert myself into that conversation without being asked," he said. "So much of that is fueled by the endemic power dynamics that have negatively affected women for so long. I'm not saying there aren't any power dynamics that negatively affect men as well, but it touches on things that I think would more naturally drive women to come together to try to help shore themselves up against the weight of history."
Rapp occupies a unique place in the conversation because he "remains the only famous, openly queer male actor to go on the record with his experience and name the man who assaulted him," BuzzFeed notes.
"I'm sure that I'm not the only one who's had these sorts of experiences," Rapp commented. "It's getting less rare, but it's still very rare for there to be openly gay, queer actors naming themselves in the first place, let alone sticking their necks out in this way. ... You know, there's internalized homophobia. There's shame, whether you're gay or straight. Men just generally are less likely to talk as openly about some of these things."