House of Cards Creator Beau Willimon Calls Kevin Spacey Allegations 'Deeply Troubling'

Jodi Guglielmi
Updated

House of Cards creator Beau Willimon has responded to allegations that series star Kevin Spacey made an unwanted sexual advance toward actor Anthony Rapp in 1986.

In a statement released on Monday, Willimon called the allegations “troubling” but said he was unaware of any inappropriate behavior during his time on the Netflix drama. He exited the show at the end of its fourth season in 2016.

“Anthony Rapp’s story is deeply troubling. During the time I worked with Kevin Spacey on House of Cards, I neither witnessed nor was aware of any inappropriate behavior on set or off,” he said in a statement to PEOPLE. “That said, I take reports of such behavior seriously and this is no exception. I feel for Mr. Rapp and I support his courage.”

“He 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,” who is openly gay, told BuzzFeed. “He was trying to seduce me,” Rapp said. “I don’t know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually.”

Following the allegations, Spacey released a statement on Twitter in which he said he did not “remember the encounter.”

“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. I’m beyond horrified to hear his story,” Spacey said in a statement posted on his Twitter account late Sunday night. “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.”

In the same statement, Spacey also came out as gay.

“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 closes to me know, in my life, I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic relationships 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.”