A civil jury concluded Thursday that actor Kevin Spacey did not molest actor Anthony Rapp decades ago when Rapp was a teenager.
The Associated Press reported that when the verdict was read, Spacey “dropped his head” and then began to hug his lawyers before walking out of the building.
Spacey maintained his innocence throughout the trial and claimed in court that his publicist was the one who made him apologize to Rapp back in 2017 when Rapp made the allegations.
“I was being encouraged to apologize and I’ve learned a lesson, which is never apologize for something that you didn’t do. I regret my entire statement,” Spacey said in court in New York City, as his emotions got the better of him and he began to cry. “It’s my responsibility. I put it out there. It was really wrong. It was really bad and I’m deeply sorry. I have to own that.”
He explained in court that at the time, he had just felt blind-sided and he “literally didn’t know how to respond.” That was when his publicist counseled him not to come out forcefully against Rapp, saying that he ran the risk of people then accusing him of blaming the victim.
Rapp accused the Academy Award-winning actor of making inappropriate sexual advances toward him in 1986 — when Rapp was just 14 years old — in a bombshell Buzzfeed article. Spacey responded to the accusation by publicly coming out as gay, denying any memory of the incident described by Rapp.
When Rapp made his accusations, Spacey responded, “I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. I’m beyond horrified to hear his story. I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years.”
“This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life,” Spacey’s statement continued. “I know that there are stories out there about me and that some have been fueled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy. As those closest to me know, in my life I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man. I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behavior.”
Virginia Kruta contributed to this report.
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