Kevin Spacey tells court his ‘white supremacist and neo-Nazi’ father led him to suppress his sexuality
18 October 2022, 15:22 | Updated: 30 June 2023, 11:26
Kevin Spacey has told a court how his ‘white supremacist and neo-Nazi’ father’s verbal abuse deterred him from coming out as gay, as the actor’s sexual misconduct trial continues in New York.
Describing his “very complicated family dynamic”, the former House of Cards actor, 63, recounted how he had been "forced” to listen to “hours and hours and hours" of "hatred" from his father.
He also recalled how his father "used to yell at me at the idea that I might be gay" – discouraging Spacey from publicly coming out as gay until the age of 58.
The testimony was heard by the court as part of a civil case brought against the actor by 50-year-old Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp, who is seeking $40m (£35.2m) in damages.
“They are not true,” said Spacey of the allegations, as he took to the stand for the first time on Monday.
Read more: Smirking Kevin Spacey denies string of sexual assault charges in the UK
The charges brought against Spacey include assault, battery and intentionally inflicting emotional distress linked to an alleged incident dating back to 1986.
It’s claimed the then 26-year-old actor climbed on top of 14-year-old Raap at a party in his Manhattan apartment.
Two of the three charges - intentional infliction of emotional distress and sexual assault - have already been dismissed by Judge Lewis A Kaplan's. The latter following a ruling the statute of limitations had expired - meaning the civil case had been brought too late.
Spacey, who took the stand in his own defence in the third week of his trial, went on to describe how he was left feeling “shocked” and “frightened” following the allegations.
"I didn't know how this could possibly be true," said Spacey, adding he could not have been sexually attracted to Rapp at the time of the alleged incident as he was underage.
In August, a judge ordered Spacey to pay $31m to the producers of House of Cards for costs incurred as a result of firing him from the hit political drama.
It also follows Spacey's plea of not guilty in a UK court, with the actor facing criminal charges of sexually assaulting three men as part of a trial that's set to begin in June 2023.
