The fallout from Kevin Spacey’s response to being accused of alleged sexual assault continued Monday, with the two-time Oscar winner being harshly criticized on social media, the plug pulled on his hit show “House of Cards” and “deeply troubled” producers of the political thriller arriving on set to comfort castmates.
Executives from Netflix and the show’s producer, Media Rights Capital, said they arrived in Baltimore, where the show is shot, on Monday afternoon to make sure actors and crew “continue to feel safe and supported.” Spacey was not scheduled to be on set on Monday.
Though the decision to end the series was announced on Monday, the decision to pull the plug on the series was made several months ago, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the decision.
In an interview published by BuzzFeed News on Sunday, actor Anthony Rapp alleged that Spacey tried to seduce him in 1986, when Rapp was a young teenager. In a statement, Spacey apologized for any “drunken” misbehavior.
Many Hollywood figures came to Rapp’s side, including fellow “Discovery” co-star Wilson Cruz and Rose McGowan, one of the leading voices against sexual harassment in Hollywood, who said of Spacey: “It’s your turn to cry.”
Former “House of Cards” showrunner Beau Willimon, who also serves as the president of the Writers Guild of America, East, called Rapp’s story “deeply troubling.”
In a statement, Willmon said: “During the time I worked with Kevin Spacey on ‘House of Cards,’ I neither witnessed nor was aware of any inappropriate behavior on set or off. That said, I take reports of such behavior seriously and this is no exception. I feel for Mr. Rapp and I support his courage.”
