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| The Old Vic Theatre in London, where Kevin Spacey was artistic director between 2005 and 2015 Photo: Fin Fahey |
Actor Harry Dreyfuss, son of Jaws star Richard Dreyfuss, has told Buzzfeed that Kevin Spacey groped him in London in 2008, when he was 18. The allegation is one of several similar claims to emerge over the course of the past week.
According to Dreyfuss, he was in Spacey's apartment where his father was rehearsing lines for a play Spacey was producing at the Old Vic Theatre. He alleges that Spacey, whom he thought of as a friend and possible mentor, repeatedly put his hand on his thigh despite his attempts to move away, then groped his crotch. He says that he didn't speak up at the time because he didn't want his father to lose his job, didn't want a fight to start, and was afraid of what upsetting Spacey might mean for his own career in acting. He has spoken up now, he says, because he wants to support others with similar stories. Richard Dreyfuss has tweeted that he is "incredibly proud" of his son.
Spacey has issued a denial of the allegations, through his lawyer. Another representative of the Se7en star has said that he is "taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment."
Scotland Yard is investigating a claim of sexual assault which is believed to relate to another incident in Spacey's apartment in Lambeth.
CNN says it has spoken to eight different people who say Spacey behaved inappropriately towards them while they were working on the popular television series House Of Cards. Netflix has since cancelled the programme and has also dropped Gore, a Gore Vidal biopic which Spacey produced and starred in. Netflix's partner on House Of Cards, Media Rights Capital (MRC) said "As the producer of the show, creating and maintaining a safe working environment for our cast and crew has always been our top priority." It was suggested that the series may be revived without Spacey in it.
Both MRC and the Old Vic have given assurances that anyone else who has worked with them and has a complaint about Spacey will be given appropriate support and should not feel that reporting an incident could place their career at risk.
