Anthony Rapp testifies against Kevin Spacey in sexual misconduct trial: 'It felt very wrong'

Anthony Rapp finally took the stand in his civil lawsuit against Kevin Spacey, testifying that he felt like a "deer in headlights" when Spacey allegedly made unwanted sexual advances toward him when he was underage.

The Star Trek: Discovery actor, who sued Spacey in September 2020 for $40 million, told jurors in Manhattan federal court Friday that the encounter took place at a party at Spacey's home in 1986, when the future Oscar winner was 26 and Rapp was 14. According to the Daily Beast, Rapp said Spacey lifted him up "like a groom carrying a bride over the threshold" and took him to a bed, where he climbed on top of him and pressed his penis against his hip.

"It felt very wrong," Rapp, now 50, reportedly told jurors. "I didn't want him to do it and I had no reason that made any sense of why he would do it. I felt like a deer in headlights."

Rapp further testified that he was able to "swerve my way out" from under Spacey, who he said was intoxicated at the time, according to Reuters. Rapp said he hid in a bathroom for a short time before running to the front door, where Spacey stopped him, asking, "Are you sure you want to leave?"

According to the Daily Beast, Rapp said of Spacey, "I felt like he wanted me to stay," adding that he quickly left Spacey's apartment. On his long walk home, Rapp told jurors he was thinking, "How do I recover from this incredibly upsetting and frightening experience?"

He continued: "I was this 14-year-old child and I had no desire to have any kind of experience like this in my life. It was incredibly frightening and very alarming and totally antithetical to anything else that I had ever experienced."

Sylvain Lefevre/WireImage; ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier Friday, Spacey's lawyer Jennifer Keller said in her opening statement that Rapp's claims are similar to a scene in Precious Sons, a play that Rapp starred in at the time. "How did Mr. Rapp come up with such an inventive and original story?" Keller asked, per the Associated Press. "Eight times each week, actor Ed Harris picked up Mr. Rapp like a groom picks up a bride."

She added that Spacey is eager to defend himself in the trial. "He wants justice," Keller said. "Once you've heard both sides, you'll be convinced this alleged assault never happened at all."

Peter Saghir, Rapp's lawyer, countered that the incident did take place and said Spacey was "deliberate" in his actions against Rapp. He added, "This is not horseplay."

Back in 2017, when Rapp first went public with his accusation, Spacey initially apologized on social media. "I honestly do not remember the encounter," he wrote. "But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years." He has since denied the allegations.

Rapp is one of several individuals who have come forward with accusations of sexual misconduct against Spacey in recent years. Spacey has been dropped from multiple projects amid the allegations, and in May he was charged with four counts of sexual assault against three U.K. men.

Rapp will likely return to the stand Tuesday to continue testifying in the trial, which is expected to last two weeks.

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