“Star Trek: Discovery” star Anthony Rapp took the witness stand Friday in his case against Kevin Spacey, testifying about his upbringing in the years before the Oscar-winning actor allegedly climbed on top of him at a New York City party in 1986, when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26.
Rapp, dressed in a navy suit and gray tie, raised his right hand and took the witness’ oath on the second day of the trial against Spacey, who has denied the allegations of sexual misconduct. Spacey’s lawyers have argued that Rapp invented the story to raise his profile.
Rapp is expected to testify about the details of the alleged encounter later Friday. Spacey, wearing a gray suit and red tie, listened intently and looked directly at Rapp during the beginning of his testimony. Spacey could be seen taking notes on a pad and whispering with his lawyers.
In his testimony, Rapp answered his attorney’s questions about his upbringing in a blue-collar suburb of Chicago, where he lived in an apartment complex with his single, working mother and two siblings.
He described himself as a shy kid who hung around with a “crew of weirdo nerds” who played “Dungeons & Dragons” and created fake magazines. He was interested in the performing arts from a young age, acting in school plays and musicals like “Li’l Abner.”
Rapp said in his lawsuit that he met Spacey in 1986, when the two were performing in separate Broadway shows — Rapp alongside Ed Harris in “Precious Sons,” Spacey with Jack Lemmon in “Long Day’s Journey Into the Night.”
Rapp claims in his lawsuit that Spacey invited him to a party at his apartment. Rapp did not recognize the other guests and felt uncomfortable, so he went into a bedroom to watch television.
Spacey later appeared in the doorway, seemingly inebriated and “swaying,” Rapp’s lead attorney said in his opening argument Thursday. Rapp alleges Spacey grabbed his buttocks, lifted him onto a bed and briefly lay down on him before Rapp “wriggled out,” according to court documents.
“He was trying to seduce me,” Rapp told BuzzFeed News in an article published in October 2017, speaking publicly about his claims for the first time. “I don’t know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually.”
In a tweet the day after the BuzzFeed article was published, Spacey said he did not remember the incident. He wrote in part: “If I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.”
Rapp’s demeanor on Thursday was generally solemn. He became visibly emotional during a brief break earlier in the day, tearing up next to his husband and wiping his nose.
The first witness of the day was Andy Holtzman, who testified that Spacey sexually assaulted him 41 years ago, in 1981.
Holtzman claims that, when he was 27 and running a film division at Manhattan’s Public Theater, Spacey entered his office wearing “tight blue jeans,” approached him with a “clear large erection,” “sort of lifted me up by my crotch” and pushed him against a desk.
“I could feel his erection on my body,” said Holtzman, who is retired after a career in the entertainment industry.
Holtzman testified that he “screamed” loudly during the alleged encounter, saying things like, “What are you doing?” Eventually, Spacey “relented” and “stormed out of the office,” apparently infuriated that his alleged advance had been rebuffed.
Holtzman said he decided to come forward with his allegations in 2017, sharing his allegations in a Facebook post.
In cross-examination, Spacey’s lawyers sought to undermine Holtzman’s claims. They submitted as evidence a copy of the program for the Public Theater’s production of “Henry IV, Part 1,” in which Spacey — then in his early 20s — had a small role.
Holtzman claims he recognized Spacey possibly after seeing his photo in the play’s program. But a lawyer for Spacey pointed out that the program does not feature Spacey’s picture.
Holtzman testified that he was not certain all of the program’s pages were included in the exhibit.
The other two witnesses of the day were friends of Rapp, who claimed he told them about his alleged encounter with Spacey. Christopher Denny, who met Rapp in the early 1990s, recounted his memories of Rapp’s version of events.
Denny recalled Rapp explaining that Spacey was “scaring him, making him uncomfortable” during the alleged 1986 encounter.
In opening arguments Thursday, one of Spacey’s lawyers claimed the apartment the actor rented in 1986 did not have a bedroom, showing jurors a copy of the floor plan.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
