Spacey’s House of Cards halts production over sex claims

KEVIN Spacey’s TV show House of Cards was suspended during production yesterday as another man accused the Oscar-winning actor of sexual assault.

Filmmaker Tony Montana said he had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after Spacey groped him in a bar.

It came as the actor, 58, was stripped of a special Emmy television award due to be presented to him later this month.

Netflix announced production had halted on the sixth series of Spacey’s political drama until further notice in order to ‘review the current situation’. It had already said the latest series, which began filming recently, would be the last – a decision a spokesman said was taken months ago.

In London, The Old Vic theatre said it was ‘deeply dismayed’ at the allegations against its former artistic director and set up a confidential complaints process for potential victims.

It comes after former child actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of trying to seduce him when he was just 14 years old, at a party in 1986.

Spacey has said he was ‘beyond horrified’ at the claim and apologised for the incident, which he said he could not remem- ber. But he came under fire for seemingly trying to excuse his behaviour by choosing that moment to come out as gay.

Yesterday, Montana became the second man to publicly accuse Spacey of acting inappropriately. He claimed Spacey had grabbed him by the crotch as he ordered a drink at a Los Angeles bar in 2003.

‘I went up to order a drink and Kevin came up to me and put his arm around me,’ he told entertainment website Radar Online. ‘He was telling me to come with him, to leave the bar.

‘He put his hand on my crotch forcefully and grabbed my whole package.’

He said that Spacey then told him: ‘This designates ownership.’ Montana added: ‘I never talked to anyone about it except for therapists. I had PTSD for six months after. It was an emasculating thing for someone to do to me.’

Spacey did not respond to a request to comment about the latest allegation last night. He had been due to be presented with the International Emmy Founders Award – whose previous recipients include Steven Spielberg and Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes – in New York on November 20.

But a statement yesterday said: ‘ The International Academy has announced today that in light of recent events it will not honour Kevin Spacey with the 2017 International Emmy Founders Award.’