Chattanooga Times Free Press

Famed London theater receives 20 allegation­s against Spacey

- BY JILL LAWLESS

LONDON — London’s Old Vic Theatre said Thursday it has received 20 allegation­s of inappropri­ate behavior by its former artistic director, Kevin Spacey, and acknowledg­ed a “cult of personalit­y” around the Hollywood star had made it difficult for people to come forward.

The London theater launched an investigat­ion into Spacey last month after claims of sexual harassment emerged in the United States. Spacey, 58, led the Old Vic between 2004 and 2015.

The Old Vic said it had received 20 allegation­s of “a range of inappropri­ate behavior,” from actions that made people feel uncomforta­ble to “sexually inappropri­ate” touching.

All the alleged victims are young men, none under 18 years old. The reported incidents took place between 1995 and 2013, many of them at the Old Vic, and all but four of the alleged victims are former staff of the theater.

In all but one case, the complainan­ts say they didn’t report them at the time. One man says he reported an incident to his manager, who didn’t act on the informatio­n.

The Old Vic said it had encouraged 14 of the complainan­ts to go to police, but couldn’t confirm whether any had done so.

The theater said Spacey’s “star power” contribute­d to an atmosphere in which staff “didn’t feel confident that the Old Vic would take those allegation­s seriously, given who he was.”

“During his tenure, The Old Vic was in a unique position of having a Hollywood star at the helm around whom existed a cult of personalit­y,” the theater said in a statement. “The investigat­ion found that his stardom and status at The Old Vic may have prevented people, and in particular junior staff or young actors, from feeling that they could speak up or raise a hand for help.”

The Old Vic promised to improve, and said it would appoint “guardians” whom staff could contact with concerns.

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Kevin Spacey

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