House of Cards producer Media Rights Capital said on Friday it would investigate fresh allegations of sexual harassment against Kevin Spacey by his colleagues on the show, the Hollywood Reporter said. Eight employees of the Netflix series had accused Spacey of sexual misconduct on the sets of the show in a CNN report on Wednesday.
Media Rights Capital has also announced that it has set up an anonymous complaint hotline, crisis counsellers and sexual harassment legal advisers for the show’s crew. “We are deeply troubled to learn about these new allegations that are being made to the press concerning Kevin Spacey’s interaction with members of the crew of House of Cards,” the company said a statement. “As the producer of the show, creating and maintaining a safe working environment for our cast and crew has always been our top priority.”
The company confirmed that Spacey had been accused of sexual harassment by a crew member 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,” it said in a statement. “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.”
Spacey was earlier accused of sexual harassment by Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp, who detailed a 1986 incident in a Buzzfeed article on October 30. Spacey had tweeted his “sincerest apology” to Rapp and in the same statement, had come out as gay, a move that met with much criticism. Netflix executives had announced on October 31 that the production on the sixth and final season of House of Cards had been discontinued in the light of the allegations against Spacey.
Netflix also issued a statement on Thursday addressing the latest claims of sexual harassment against Spacey: “Netflix is not aware of any other incidents involving Kevin Spacey on-set. We continue to collaborate with MRC and other production partners to maintain a safe and respectful working environment.”
The Academy Award-winning actor’s spokesperson said on Wednesday that he was “taking the time necessary to seek evaluation and treatment”. Spacey’s supporting actor Oscar campaign for Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World has also been cancelled, Variety reported. Talent agency CAA and Polaris publicist Staci Wolfe also parted ways with the actor in the wake of the allegations, Deadline reported.
Meanwhile, producer Brett Ratner has filed a libel suit against former employee of the Endeavor Talent Agency Melanie Kolher, who has accused him of raping her. The accusations against Spacey and Ratner follow multiple allegations of sexual harassment against producer Harvey Weinstein, who has since been ousted from the film studio he co-founded and expelled from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
After making making every movie in his career for production companies owned by Weinstein, director Quentin Tarantino is now looking for a different studio to make his ninth film, reports said on Tuesday.