House of Cards showrunner says they were unaware of reported Kevin Spacey incident
'I feel awful for the people who were wronged while working for House of Cards'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Eight members of the House of Cards crew have accused Kevin Spacey of sexual harassment, one employee claiming they were assaulted by Spacey.
Speaking to CNN, the men said Spacey’s behaviour on the Netflix show’s set was “predatory," making for a “toxic” work environment.
Media Rights Capital (MRC), the production company behind House of Cards, later released a statement, revealing they previously received a sexual assault complaint against Spacey in 2012 while filming the show’s first season.
“Immediate action was taken following our review of the situation and we are confident the issue was resolved promptly to the satisfaction of all involved,” the statement continued.
“Mr. Spacey willingly participated in a training process and since that time MRC has not been made aware of any other complaints involving Mr. Spacey.”
Beau Willimon, the show’s creator and former showrunner, has since spoken about the incident, telling Deadline: “I feel awful for the people who were wronged while working for House of Cards.”
Willimon — who has previously given a statement on Spacey — added that the production company did not inform him of the 2012 incident, saying: “The production did not inform me of the incident that occurred in Season One regarding Kevin Spacey or of any action taken as a result.”
Netflix has also offered a statement, saying they were aware of the incident but “were informed [it] was resolved swiftly.” The company was unaware of any other incidents.
Following the initial allegations made by Rapp, Netflix announced that House of Cards would finish with the sixth series. The actor has been dropped by his casting agency and publicist.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments