There's been a slew of conflicting headlines regarding Kevin Spacey's response to Star Trek: Discovery's Anthony Rapp, who alleged the House of Cards star made sexual advances toward him when he was 14.
Some focused on Spacey's coming-out statement. "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," Spacey said in response to the allegations.
But Hollywood isn't fooled. Out actors like Zachary Quinto, Wanda Sykes, Rosie O'Donnell, and Wilson Cruz called out Spacey for using the announcement of his sexual orientation as an excuse, a cover, a distraction tactic, and a dangerous conflation of gay identity and predatory behavior.
And after Spacey's statement, Netflix announced that House of Cards would be canceled following the filming of season 6, which is currently in production. The streaming service released a joint statement with Media Rights Capital Sunday:
"Media Rights Capital and Netflix are deeply troubled by last night's news concerning Kevin Spacey. 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."
Showrunner Beau Willimon released a statement as well:
George Takei also summed up the response from prominent out actors. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, he called Spacey's move a "deflection":
"When power is used in a non-consensual situation, it is a wrong. For Anthony Rapp, he has had to live with the memory of this experience of decades ago. For Kevin Spacey, who claims not to remember the incident, he was the older, dominant one who had his way. Men who improperly harass or assault do not do so because they are gay or straight -- that is a deflection. They do so because they have the power, and they chose to abuse it."
See the response from other Hollywood players below.
