WASHINGTON – Actor Anthony Rapp, who was the first person to publicly accuse actor Kevin Spacey of inappropriate sexual behavior, said there is a “misconception” among the public that a “trial in a court of law” is the “only means” to discuss sexual misconduct allegations against an individual.
“The press that so many of us around these issues with so many people was vetted within an inch of its life through legal vetting. There’s this misconception that a trial in a court of law is the only means to have these kinds of issues talked about. Statutes of limitations make that impossible in many cases,” Rapp said during a recent interview during his trip to Washington in support of the Creative Coalition, which advocates for continued federal funding of the arts.
“It’s a very complex issue so no one is going to print with anything without thorough vetting and without thorough reporting and thorough care. Contemporaneous witnesses with whom the story was shared is a huge piece of the legal puzzle and none of these reporters are going to press without numbers of people who can corroborate these stories so these are not just allegations that are being dangled out without any responsibility,” he added.
Spacey, the former star of House of Cards on Netflix, appeared in court on Monday for a hearing focused on an allegation that Spacey groped an 18-year-old busboy in a crowded bar in 2016.
Rapp shared what he hopes is the end of result of the accusations against Spacey.
“Anybody who was in a position of power where they could abuse that power, they’ve all been put on notice so the end result, I hope, is they just won’t have that access to abuse that power,” he said.
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