Rose McGowan slams Kevin Spacey's apology over 'sexual advance' claims

The Charmed actress is one of a legion of stars to hit out at Kevin Spacey's statement
Speaking out: Rose McGowan
Paul Zimmerman/Getty
Fiona Simpson30 October 2017
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Actress Rose McGowan has slammed Kevin Spacey’s apology over claims he made sexual advances towards a 14-year-old child actor in 1986.

The House of Cards actor released a statement – in which he came out as gay - after fellow actor Anthony Rapp accused the 58-year-old of historical harassment.

In an interview with BuzzFeed, Rapp said Spacey, then aged 26, placed him on a bed and climbed on top of him following a party at his apartment.

However, stars including McGowan - one of scores of women who have levelled allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein – have claimed Spacey uses being gay as an “excuse” for the alleged incident.

The Charmed actress urged fans not to let Rapp’s claims get lost in Spacey’s revelation.

Apology: Kevin Spacey
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

She wrote on Twitter: “Dear fellow media: Keep focus on #AnthonyRapp BE THE VICTIM'S VOICE. Help us level the playing field.”

The actress later added: "Bye bye, Spacey goodbye, it’s your turn to cry, that’s why we’ve gotta say goodbye."

In the statement, Spacey said he is "beyond horrified" by the claims, saying he does not remember the alleged incident but the story has "encouraged him to address other things about my life".

Anthony Rapp: accused Spacey of a sexual advance in 1986
AFP/Getty Images

He added: “I know that there are stories out there about me and that some have been fuelled 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.

"I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behaviour."

Comedian Guy Brumun branded the apology a “PR smokescreen” and wrote: “The classiest way to come out of the closet is as a PR smokescreen to distract people from the fact that you tried to molest a child.”

Comedian and actor Billy Eichner added: “That Kevin Spacey statement. Nope. Absolutely not. Nope.”

While, author Dan Savage said: “Nope to Kevin Spacey's statement. Nope. There's no amount of drunk or closeted that excuses or explains away assaulting a 14-year-old child.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in