A witness accused Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct on Friday morning in federal court, where the actor is attempting to fight back against “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp’s $40 million civil lawsuit.
Attorneys for Rapp, who claims Spacey made unwanted sexual advances against the actor when he was 14 and Spacey was 26, called Andrew Holtzman to the stand. Holtzman testified that he was groped by Spacey in 1981. At the time, Holtzman worked at the Public Theatre and Spacey was in actor in the non-profit organization’s Shakespeare Festival.
Holtzman alleged that he was working in his office when Spacey entered and attempted to force himself on the man. He said that he had recognized Spacey, then an obscure actor, from a photograph in the Playbill. When Spacey entered the room, he was “wearing tight blue jeans” and “had a very clear, large erection.” Holtzman grew alarmed after the actor approached him aggressively.
“He sort of lifted my up by my crotch and pushed me back on my desk,” Holtzman said. As Holtzman fell backwards, he said he “screamed things.” He added that Spacey said “absolutely nothing” during the alleged encounter. Spacey eventually stormed out of the office.
“I sat there completely in shock,” Holtzman said. “I started to blame myself.” He went on to add that he never told anyone at the Public Theatre about the misconduct, but said he had told friends over the ensuing decades before posting about it on Facebook in 2017.
“The experience is almost a blur,” Holtzman said. “Everything was in a slow motion. It’s a memory that I can’t forget.”
Attorneys for Spacey pressed Holtzman to acknowledge that he was 27 at the time of the alleged incident and Spacey was 20. They wanted to emphasize that the age gap was very different from the one between Spacey and Rapp, and that Holtzman was not a minor.
Spacey’s side also tried to cast doubt on Holtzman’s memory of the incident by sharing a Playbill from the production. They noted there were no photographs of Spacey to be found in the printed material.
Rapp took the stand briefly before court adjourned for lunch. He will continue his testimony on Friday afternoon.