American actor Kevin Spacey, who is facing off against Anthony Rapp in a USD 40 million civil lawsuit, has spoken about his struggle to publically come out as gay due to his father's racist, homophobic and antisemitic views.
According to Variety, the admission from Spacey came on the witness stand of Rapp's lawsuit trial in New York City on Monday. Rapp claims Spacey made unwanted sexual advances against him in 1986 when he was 14 years old.
In his own testimony, Rapp accused Spacey of being a fraud for not being openly gay.
"To call someone a fraud is to say someone is living a lie. I wasn't living a lie. I was just reluctant to talk about my personal life," Spacey said, reported Variety.
As per the outlet, Spacey said his family moved around a lot because his father was frequently unemployed when he was growing up. The actor said he was "terrified" as a child and was "forced to listen" to his father's racist and bigoted lectures, which prevented him from bringing friends to the house.
He stated when he told his father that about wanting to be an actor, he was told "don't be an f-word." Spacey said, "I won't say it here because it's derogatory. I certainly had a degree of shame."
Spacey said he wanted to become a performer because he loved making his mother, Kathleen, laugh and because she instilled a love of movies in her son.
Before Spacey's career imploded because of Rapp's sexual assault accusations against him in a 2017 BuzzFeed article and other accusers making similar allegations against him, he was one of Hollywood's most acclaimed actors, winning Oscars for his work in 'The Usual Suspects' and 'American Beauty' and starring in the Netflix series 'House of Cards'.
Meanwhile, Spacey's legal team scored a significant victory before the actor ever took the stand.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan dismissed emotional distress charges against Spacey, who now only faces battery charges. "I'm not looking to duplicate damages," Kaplan said, as per Variety.
(ANI)
Dripping in 190,000 crystals, pure Schiaparelli magicGetty Images 
Butter-yellow Givenchy suit? A bold fashion winGetty Images 
Old Hollywood vibes in a 16,000-glass-drop Ralph Lauren gownGetty Images 
Dior’s black-and-pink masterpiece fit for an Oscar winnerGetty Images 
Dramatic bow, deep green Louis Vuitton—simply stunningGetty Images 
Stars like Brody & Downey Jr. made brooches the new must-have!Getty Images 
Velvet, gloves, and De Beers diamonds—classic eleganceGetty Images 
Polka dots, scarves & brooches—black suits redefinedGetty Images 
Sharp tailoring meets elegance in her Markgong tuxedoGetty Images 
A disco-ball-inspired Siriano stunner—retro glam perfectionGetty Images 
US filmmaker Sean Baker accepts the award for Best Picture for 'Anora', flanked by cast and crewGetty Images
Peter Straughan wins the Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) award for 'Conclave'Getty Images
Javed Akhtar speaks at an event at Doon International School, AmritsarGetty Images 
A legendary talent, but the Oscar remained just out of reachGetty Images 
Eight nominations, yet the Oscar still plays hard to getGetty Images
Seven nominations, but the Oscar stayed out of reachGetty Images 
Grace, talent, and six nominations—but no OscarGetty Images 
A scene-stealer with six nominations, but no OscarGetty Images
Six nominations and counting—Hollywood’s perpetual contenderGetty Images 
Twelve nominations, but the Oscar still waitsGetty Images 
Five nominations, endless charm, but no OscarGetty Images 
Five nominations, a powerhouse talent, but no OscarGetty Images 
A Hollywood legend—without a single Oscar nodGetty Images
Rakesh with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia