Anthony Rapp, House of Cards, Kevin Spacey, Media Rights Capital, Netflix, scandal, sexual harassment, TV
October 31, 2017
by Colleen McGregor
Netflix has suspended production of “House of Cards” following allegations that the show’s star Kevin Spacey (who is also an executive producer of “House of Cards”) made a sexual advance on actor Anthony Rapp in 1986, when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26. Rapp detailed the story in article published by Buzzfeed on October 29, 2017.
Spacey then issued this statement on his Twitter account on October 30, 2017:
“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 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. I know that there are stories out there about me and that some have been fuelled 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.”
On October 30, 2017, after Spacey released that statement, Netflix announced that “House of Cards” would end with the show’s sixth season that was set to premiere in 2018. The show’s fifth season premiered on May 30, 2017. Netflix claimed that the cancellation of “House of Cards” had already been planned before the scandal. But suspending production in the midst of filming the show’s sixth season indicates that the “House of Cards” could end sooner than expected. Netflix and “House of Cards” production company Media Rights Capital issued a joint statement saying that production of “House of Cards” was halted “until further notice, to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew.”
In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, the abrupt suspension of “House of Cards” could mean the beginning of serious career damage for Spacey, who has won several major awards, including two Oscars, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, one Golden Globe Award and one Tony Award. Spacey hosted the Tony Awards in 2017, but it’s highly unlikely he will ever be offered that kind of job again. Several high-profile organizations are already distancing themselves from Spacey, and more backlash can occur if more people come out against him accusing Spacey of sexual misconduct. If allegations come out against Spacey that he actually raped anyone (as Weinstein is accused of doing), then the damage to his career will be permanent.
November 8, 2017 UPDATE: After several other men (including “House of Cards” employees) came forward with stories about Spacey sexually harassing or abusing them, Netflix and Media Rights Capital announced that they have completely severed ties with Spacey. In addition, Creative Artists Agency and publicist Staci Wolfe of Polaris PR have dropped Spacey from their client rosters and will no longer represent him. Spacey has also been removed from the movie “All the Money in the World,” and has been replaced by Christopher Plummer. The AFI Fest premiere of “All the Money in the World” (which was set for November 16, 2017) has been cancelled. According to Sony Pictures Entertainment, despite the abruptly scheduled reshoots and re-edits required for the movie, “All the Money in the World” is still set to be released in December 2017.
December 5, 2017 UPDATE: Netflix has announced that the sixth and final season of “House of Cards” will be filmed with Robin Wright (who plays Claire Underwood, Frank Underwood’s wife) as the star. It has not been announced yet how the Frank Underwood character will be written out of the show.