Kevin Spacey flirted with 19-year-old John Barrowman and “got into bed with him”, a court heard.
The former ‘House of Cards’ star is being sued by the ‘Torchwood’ actor’s former classmate Anthony Rapp, who accused the disgraced actor of assaulting her at a party in 1986, a decade Spacey’s senior. As their legal battle continued in Manhattan on Tuesday (11.10.22), the judge learned the trio met in the 1980s.
John, now 55, testified that he was staying with Anthony when he met Spacey backstage at a New York theater before going out to dinner and then to a club. The ‘American Beauty’ star’s lawyer, Jennifer Keller, said the actor’s focus was on the former ‘Dancing on Ice’ judge, but that ‘nothing inappropriate’ happened.
She asked Anthony on the witness stand if he thought he was “viewed as an accomplice,” but he replied, “No.”
The attorney cited a previously unpublished portion of John’s deposition, in which he said they returned to Spacey’s apartment and got into bed, but that they did not have any sex in front of his friend.
John later sent the ‘Usual Suspects’ star flowers, and the pair stayed in touch, with the old actor often calling his new friend and his mother, which he “appreciated.”
This account differs from that of Anthony, who previously said that he went home immediately after going to the nightclub.
Spacey’s lawyer told him, “It was only after Mr. Barrowman’s confession that you realized you had a problem with your story.”
To which the ‘Rent’ actor replied, “I don’t deny his story, I don’t remember.”
During cross-examination, Ms. Keller questioned a speech Anthony gave in 2018 in which she impersonated Spacey in a New York Times article by Lupita Nyong’o about her experiences with Harvey Weinstein.
She said, “It’s not true that her essay inspired you, is it?”
He replied, “I don’t see how that could not be true.”
The attorney pulled out a copy of the article, dated Oct. 19, 2017, before showing screenshots of a conversation between the ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ star and his friend, BuzzFeed reporter Adam Vary.
The first was dated October 11 and Anthony wrote: ‘I want to talk about another powerful person in our field.
Two days later his friend replied, “I think everyone here wants to make sure your story has the biggest possible impact.”
Asked about the news, Anthony said: “When I think back on them I remember how the events unfolded.”
The lawyer replied insultingly, “They’re not 31, are they?”
He argued that the story about Lupita was “useful for you to gain more sympathy,” but the witness insisted it wasn’t because she “conflated” the broader allegations about Weinstein.
Despite the ordeal he endured, Anthony admitted to seeing Spacey in many films, on television and in the theater, saying it was his “obligation” to watch the star’s work as an actor, but insisting he “never wanted to”. A profession” like him.
Anthony filed a civil suit against Spacey in 2020 after a judge dismissed the sexual assault charges. He is seeking compensation for mental and emotional pain, medical bills and loss of employment.
Spacey pleaded not guilty to charges of sexually assaulting three men between March 2005 and April 2013 in England, while charges of indecent assault and sexual assault were dropped in Massachusetts in 2019.
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