“House of Cards” creator Beau Willimon is responding to sexual harassment allegations made against the Netflix show’s star, Kevin Spacey.
In an interview with BuzzFeed News published Sunday, “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of sexually harassing him at a party in 1986, when Rapp was just 14 years old.
Willimon, who served as the “House of Cards” showrunner for its first four seasons, called the allegations against Spacey “deeply troubling.” Willimon said that he hadn’t witnessed inappropriate behavior from Spacey during his years working on the show, and said he supported Rapp.
On Monday, Netflix announced “House of Cards” Season 6 will be the show’s final season. The company also released a joint statement with producer Media Rights Capital.
“Media Rights Capital and Netflix are deeply troubled by last night’s news concerning Kevin Spacey,” the said, per Variety. “In response to last night’s revelations, executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported. As previously scheduled, Kevin Spacey is not working on set at this time.”
Rapp met Spacey while he was a child star in Broadway’s “Precious Sons,” and was invited to a party at Spacey’s Manhattan apartment. It was there where Spacey, who was 26 at the time, allegedly “picked Rapp up, placed him on his bed and climbed on top of him, making a sexual advance,” according to BuzzFeed.
“My head was spinning,” Rapp said. “I have a memory of turning around and [thinking], What was that? What am I supposed to do with it? What does it mean? The older I get, and the more I know, I feel very fortunate that something worse didn’t happen.”
Early Monday, the actor responded, saying he didn’t recall the incident and suggesting his alleged actions were “inappropriate drunken behavior.” He also used the moment to come out publicly about his sexuality.
Many on Twitter criticized Spacey’s response, accusing him of using a “PR smokescreen” to detract from Rapp’s accusation.
This story has been updated with news of “House of Cards’” last season and a statement from Netflix.