Netflix have confirmed that they will not continue working with Kevin Spacey going forward.
The actor has been accused of sexual harassment and sexual abuse from numerous alleged victims over the past week, since Anthony Rapp came forward with his alleged experience last Monday.
Rapp claimed in an interview that Spacey made a “sexual advance” on him back in 1986, when he was just 14 years old and Spacey was 26.
The House of Cards star swiftly issued a statement saying that he has “a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor,” and admitted that he is “horrified to hear this story.”
The actor did not deny the allegation, but said that he does not “remember the encounter”.
However, Spacey then decided to use the statement to say: “I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man.”
Many were quick to criticise Spacey for choosing this moment to clarify his sexuality as it perpetuates the gross stereotype that bigots use to claim that gay men are predatory.
Rapp’s allegations have inspired many more alleged victims to come forward, including eight former and current crew members on House of Cards.
In one instance, a young man who worked on the series told CNN he was sexually assaulted.
The former production assistant alleges that when he was driving Spacey down to the set one day, the actor forced his hand down the young man’s trousers.
The alleged victim also claims that Spacey cornered him while he was in his trailer on a separate occasion, having helped him carry his luggage from his car.
Following these accusations, Netflix confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Spacey has been dropped from the upcoming sixth season of House of Cards, and that they’ve pulled the plug on his upcoming movie, Gore.
“Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey,” they said.
Related: Zachary Quinto calls Kevin Spacey’s coming out a “calculated manipulation”
“We will continue to work with MRC [Media Rights Capital] 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.”
A biopic about American writer Gore Vidal, Gore had just wrapped shooting in Italy days before these allegations surfaced.
It’s been reported that two episodes for the next season of House of Cards have been filmed so far, but production has been halted to allow writers to rework scripts to write Spacey’s character Frank Underwood out of the show.
The corrupt politician dies in the Michael Dobbs book that inspired the series, so it could easily work.
There has also been talk that Robin Wright’s character, Claire Underwood, could become the new focus of the show instead.
If you have been a victim of sexual assault and would like to seek support, you can call the Sexual Assault Casework & Support helpline on 0800 704 2040, or visit Galop UK”s official website for more information.
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