In late October, it was revealed in a Buzzfeed interview with actor Anthony Rapp that Kevin Spacey, star of House of Cards, “made a sexual advance” on Rapp in 1986 when Spacey was 26 and Rapp just 14 years old. Rapp chose to keep quiet about his experience, but eventually got frustrated and angry watching Spacey become such a successful star after violating him so deeply at such a young age. Rapp notes that seeing Spacey makes his “stomach churn” and he still “can’t wrap [his] head around so many aspects of it. It’s just deeply confusing to me”.
Rapp felt compelled to share his story after the many allegations against Harvey Weinstein’s started coming out. Those who came forward to face their accuser not only helped themselves, but helped others by starting a very important conversation about sexual assault. Rapp felt that by sharing his story, it might help others gain strength to come forward as well as help him to heal.
Since sharing his story, other men have come forward to share their encounters with Spacey. Actors Tony Montana and Roberto Cavazos both came forward and shared their encounters with Spacey. Cavazos, who worked at the Old Vic Theater during Spacey’s run as creative director, explained that it was very common for Spacey to engage in sexual misconduct. According to him, Spacey would invite young actors to eat with him to discuss their careers and then touch them inappropriately. This happened frequently and many were supposedly “involved in keeping quiet”.
Rapp’s experiences, along with all the women who came forward about Harvey Weinstein, are all so important to hear. Frequently, survivors of sexual assault or misconduct are scared to share their stories in fear of what will happen to them. Predators like Spacey and Weinstein realize they are in a position of power and use their positions to exploit by preying on those below them, in hopes they will keep quiet. Fear and power are tactics used against men and women alike in these situations. Hopefully, Rapp sharing his experience will help survivors find the strength they need to come forward about their own.