Netflix Suspends Production Of Season Six Of 'House Of Cards' Amid Spacey Allegations
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Kevin Spacey fallout continues.
A day after Kevin Spacey apologized to actor Anthony Rapp after Rapp accused Spacey of making a sexual advance while Rapp was only 14 years old, Netflix has suspended production of the series "House Of Cards."
"MRC and Netflix have decided to suspend production on House of Cards season six, until further notice, to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew," Netflix and Media Rights Capital said in a joint statement Tuesday.
On Monday, Netflix said season six of "House of Cards"" would be its last. The company said that the decision to end "House of Cards" came months ago and was not a response to the Rapp allegations.
Spacey's apology was met with a huge backlash.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Rapp said Spacey met and befriended him while they both performed on Broadway in 1986. At the time, Rapp was starring in "Precious Sons" with Ed Harris and Judith Ivey, while Spacey was appearing with Jack Lemmon in a revival of "Long Day's Journey into Night."
Rapp said Spacey first invited him and his 17-year-old friend to the old Limelight nightclub at Sixth Avenue and 20th Street, and they got in even though Rapp said he "looked younger than 14."
Rapp said while at Limelight, Spacey, then 26, invited him to a party at his Manhattan apartment a few days later, and he went alone. Rapp said he was bored at the party and ended up watching TV in the bedroom until past midnight – but then Spacey walked in after everyone else had left.
"My memory was that I thought, 'Oh, everybody's gone. Well, yeah, I should probably go home,'" Rapp was quoted by BuzzFeed. Rapp said Spacey "sort of stood in the doorway, kind of swaying. My impression when he came in the room was that he was drunk."
Rapp told the publication he did not remember Spacey saying anything, but said Spacey "picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I don't, like, squirm away initially, because I'm like, 'What's going on?' And then he lays down on top of me."
Rapp told BuzzFeed he pushed Spacey off him and went on to leave the apartment.
Spacey said Sunday he is "beyond horrified" by the allegations.
During the apology, Spacey also came out as gay which prompted outrage on social media.
The two-time Oscar winner posted on Twitter that he doesn't remember the encounter. "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," he said.
In his tweeted statement, Spacey said: "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 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."
"People on social media are noting that coming out as gay is completely separate from addressing allegations of being a sexual predator,"Hollywood Reporter editorial director Matt Belloni said. "You could argue that coming out as gay in this particular moment might deflect attention away from the allegations against him."
Rapp did not address Spacey's apology, instead writing, "I came forward with my story, standing on the shoulders of the many courageous women and men who have been speaking out to shine a light and hopefully make a difference, as they have done for me. Everything I wanted to say about my experience is in that article, and I have no further comment about it at this time."
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
