Kevin Spacey has addressed his controversial 2017 statement in which he came out as gay in response to Anthony Rapp’s accusation of sexual misconduct.
“Members of the LGBTQ+ community were upset because I came out while I was responding to an accusation and now I understand why it was read that way,” Spacey told a court in London, U.K. “It wasn’t how I intended it.” The actor is giving evidence in the third week of his trial at Southwark Crown Court. He has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of sexual assault against four different men.
In 2017, Rapp was the first man to come forward publicly with his allegation of sexual misconduct, telling Buzzfeed the “House of Cards” actor had made sexual advances towards Rapp at a party when Rapp was 14 years old.
Spacey set out the circumstances surrounding the statement, which was widely condemned by peers at the time including Billy Eichner, Zachary Quinto and Rose McGowan. GLAAD also criticized Spacey, with the org’s CEO Sarah Kate Ellis saying at the time: “Coming-out stories should not be used to deflect from allegations of sexual assault.”
Spacey told the U.K. court on Thursday that after he was approached by Buzzfeed regarding Rapp’s allegation he had a series of calls with his team – including lawyers, publicists and business managers – to decide how to respond.
“People were being professionals and they did their best,” Spacey told the U.K, court on Thursday but added: “I was under a lot of pressure that I had to say something. That it would be a PR nightmare if I didn’t.”
He said some members of his team disagreed with the course of action but they took a vote and ultimately released a statement in which Spacey revealed he was gay.
“I understand why people responded the way they did to it,” Spacey said.
Spacey added that he had been planning to come out publicly for a long time and had considered doing it two years earlier at an event (which he didn’t name). “The gay community had been pressuring me for a very long time about coming out,” he said.
The actor added that he hadn’t planned to come out in response to the Buzzfeed story but had hoped it would at least “do something at least positive [and] put the question of my sexuality behind me.”
“Maybe now the allegation against me by Anthony Rapp has been proven to be false, maybe people will read that statement with a little bit more understanding now,” he said.
Rapp lost a $40 million sexual battery lawsuit against Spacey last October.
During his first day in the witness stand on Thursday, Spacey said he had hardly worked in the six years since Rapp first spoke to Buzzfeed.
Asked by his barrister, Patrick Gibbs KC, whether he had once been a rich man, Spacey replied: “I was very fortunate in the career I had.”
“Are you a rich man now?” asked Gibbs.
Citing his lack of income and large legal bills, Spacey simply replied: “No.”
