House Of Cards creator Beau Willimon had no idea actor Kevin Spacey had been investigated by producers for an onset incident during the show’s first season.
The Oscar winner has portrayed fictional U.S. politician Frank Underwood on the drama since its debut on streaming service Netflix in 2013, but production on the upcoming sixth season was halted indefinitely earlier this week (begs30Oct17) after Spacey was accused of sexually assaulting Anthony Rapp at his New York apartment 31 years ago, when the Star Trek: Discovery actor was just 14.
Spacey quickly apologized for his drunken behavior via Twitter, but insisted he had no recollection of the incident.
A number of other alleged victims, including crew members on House of Cards, have since come forward with disturbing claims against the star, and on Thursday (02Nov17), producers at Media Rights Capital (MRC) revealed they had actually investigated a complaint about “a specific remark and gesture” Spacey had made while filming the first season in 2012.
“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,” they added in a statement, confirming Spacey had also undergone a session on inappropriate behavior.
However, it appears MRC bosses failed to notify Willimon of the incident at the time, and the former showrunner, who departed the series in early 2016, admits he is horrified to learn about the behind-the-scenes drama.
“I feel awful for the people who were wronged while working for House of Cards,” Willimon told Deadline.com. “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.”
The new president of the Writers Guild of America East union continued, “I am heartsick that anyone on the crew had to endure this sort of behavior. Clearly we, as an industry, particularly those in a position of power, myself included, need to be more perceptive and proactive. We also need to do a better job at empowering and supporting our colleagues who come forward.”
Willimon’s comments emerge after Spacey’s publicist announced he was seeking “evaluation and treatment” for his alleged behavior, although the actor has since been dumped by his representative Staci Wolfe and his talent agents at Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
