Old Vic theatre accused of ‘breach of trust’ by actor alleging Kevin Spacey groped him
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 19: Kevin Spacey greets singer Annie Lennox at The Old Vic Theatre during the gala celebration in honour of Kevin Spacey as the artistic directors tenure comes to an end on April 19, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images)
The Old Vic theatre has been accused of a “breach of trust” by an actor who allges that he was groped by Kevin Spacey.
Spacey has repeatedly been accused of inappropriate sexual behaviour this week, since Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp accused him of making sexual advances on him when he was 14.
Anthony Rapp
In response, Spacey wrote on Twitter that he didn’t remember the incident, but apologised for “what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour.”
The Baby Driver actor added that he was “sorry for the feelings he [Rapp] describes having carried with him all these years,” before saying: “I choose now to live as a gay man.”
And now the Old Vic theatre, of which Spacey was the artistic director for a decade, has been drawn into the controversy.
BuzzFeed’s Patrick Strudwick reveals that an anonymous actor alleges that he was groped by Spacey repeatedly in 2013.
In the wake of the earlier allegations, the theatre set up a confidential helpline for potential victims of sexual harassment.
The actor, however; chose to speak to BuzzFeed, saying he was unsure of the security of an email address set up by the Old Vic after he received an email response from the theatre’s executive director rather than an independent third party as promised.
“When you say confidential you don’t expect the person who is in charge of a very well known theatre to then get in touch with you immediately,” the actor told BuzzFeed.
He added that “confidentiality goes out the window. This is not confidential. It’s not private… It’s a total breach of trust.”
Spacey was this weekend sacked from the shelved Netflix hit ‘House of Cards’ amid a raft of sexual misconduct allegations.
In the wake of these allegations and Spacey’s response, Netflix announced that House of Cards would be ending after its sixth season.
And the streaming company announced the next day that it was suspending production on the show’s sixth season.
Earlier this week it was reported that Spacey sexually harassed numerous people on the House of Cards set, turning it into a “toxic” environment, eight people have claimed.
One staffer, a former production assistant, said that Spacey sexually assaulted him during one of the early seasons of the show.
All eight employees called Spacey’s behaviour “predatory,” adding that it included non-consensual touching and sexual comments.
(Netflix)
The two-time Oscar winner, who is executive producer on the show, generally targeted production staff who were young and male, they said.
British police are currently investigating an allegation of sexual assault made against Spacey.
An alleged victim claimed today that after being invited to Spacey’s London home for a drink in 2008, he passed out – and woke to find the Hollywood star performing oral sex on him.
(Netflix)
The Seven star has been dropped by both his publicist and talent agency following numerous allegations.
And now Spacey has been sacked by Netflix from House of Cards.
“Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement.
“We will continue to work with MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show. We have also decided we will not be moving forward with the release of the film Gore, which was in post-production, starring and produced by Kevin Spacey.”
One of the eight former and current House of Cards staffers, a production assistant, said that Spacey sexually assaulted while he was bringing the actor from an offsite location to the set.
Just minutes away from their destination, with Spacey driving the car, the star of the show put his hands down the staffer’s trousers, he said.
(Netflix)
The touching was not consensual, he added, recalling: “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”.
After helping to take Spacey’s belongings from the car to the actor’s trailer, Spacey cornered him in the trailer, he said, blocking his escape and making inappropriate contact with him.
“I told him: ‘I don’t think I’m ok with this, I don’t think I’m comfortable with this,'” he said.
(Netflix)
Another crew member, who has worked on House of Cards for its entire run, said Spacey routinely harassed and touched him.
(Netflix)
This crew member said he did not “feel comfortable” asking Spacey to stop.
“That’s the worst part about this whole thing. I would love to be able to speak out about this kind of stuff and not fear.”
(Netflix)
A former camera assistant said employees did not make the alleged incidents public because they were scared of losing their jobs.
(Netflix)
A former production assistant who worked on several seasons of the show said she also witnessed Spacey’s sexual misconduct on the set.
(Netflix)
Spacey did not respond to CNN’s request for comment about these allegations.
“Netflix is not aware of any other incidents involving Kevin Spacey on-set.”
The company added: “We will continue to work with MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the production”.
MRC, the show’s production company, told CNN that they have set up “an anonymous complaint hotline, crisis counselors, and sexual harassment legal advisors for the crew.”
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The current slew of sexual misconduct allegations in Hollywood – and further afield, including the British Parliament – started with accusations against Harvey Weinstein, who has also sought “treatment.”
After Rapp’s story was made public, filmmaker Tony Montana accused Spacey of having sexually assaulted him in 2003, saying: “He put his hand on my crotch forcefully and grabbed my whole package.”
Tony Montana (YouTube/tony montana)
Another alleged victim, Daniel Beal, said that Spacey showed him his penis in public when he was 19, before giving him his £5,000 watch to buy his silence.
“He said: ‘It’s big, isn’t it?’ He leaned over and tried to pull my hand towards it,” Beal told The Sun.
Dan Beal (Facebook/dan beal)
He accused Spacey of “grooming”.
Another man, who did not reveal his name, told the BBC he was left traumatised after waking to find Spacey lying on him, in his underwear, with his arms wrapped around him.
The man, who was a teenager at the time, said Spacey’s behaviour during that weekend was “either very stupid or predatory – or maybe a little of both.”
He added: “It seems he was grooming me.
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Mexican actor Rob Cavazos has also alleged that Spacey approached him in “unpleasant encounters” which he said he would have termed “harassment” if he were a woman.
Cavazos was at London’s Old Vic Theatre at the same time as Spacey, who was the venue’s artistic director for a decade.
He said the American Beauty actor was commonly found at the theatre bar, “squeezing whoever caught his attention.”
Roberto Cavazos (Facebook/roberto cavazos)
Cavazos – who has been in Rush and and Doctor Who – said: “There are many of us who have a ‘Kevin Spacey story’.
“It seems that it only took a male under 30 to make Mr Spacey feel free to touch us.
Today, another alleged victim claimed that Spacey had a sexual ‘relationship’ with him when he was a child, before trying to rape him.
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Speaking to Vulture, the latest alleged victim – now a 48-year-old artist living in the US with his long-term partner – said Spacey approached him when he was 14.
After three or four sexual encounters and proclamations of love, Spacey invited him over and attempted to rape the child, he said.
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“I guess he must have come up behind me and yanked down my baggy jeans, and he goes to f*** me and I’m like, ‘No, I don’t want to.’
“And he pushes hard, and grabs me, and starts shoving up against my asshole, and it hurts like a motherf***er.
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“I again tell him no, and he tries again.
“I am strong enough, thank God, both somewhere in my brain and in my body, to get him off of me. I’m sturdy, thankfully.
Spacey in 2000 (Getty)
“I throw him off of me and I run crying down the stairs and out into the street and then suck it all up and go have dinner.”
“I always have said: ‘He tried to rape me.’
He added that the actor was “a paedophile and a sexual predator.”
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The International TV Academy withdrew an honour it was due to give Spacey.
The American Beauty actor was due to be handed the 2017 International Emmy Founders Award on November 20, at a glamorous event in New York.
