Harry Dreyfuss, the son of actor/director Richard Dreyfuss, says that Kevin Spacey groped him when he was an 18-year-old senior in high school and his father was directing Spacey in a play at London’s Old Vic theatre.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTXx6OblSra/?taken-by=harry_dreyfuss
Dreyfuss said that he has always passed the story off as a joke, but that the numerous others coming forward have allowed him to see the incident in its true light.
Writes Dreyfuss in a piece at Buzzfeed News:
As the allegations against Harvey Weinstein came rolling in, and so many women I know posted their stories of sexual abuse during the #MeToo campaign, I came to see how important it is to add my voice to the people who are demanding a better world. A world in which powerful men are no longer allowed to feel safe to do this, or far worse. In retrospect, what disgusts me about Kevin was how safe he did feel. He knew he could fondle me in a room with my father and that I wouldn’t say a word. He knew I wouldn’t have had the guts. And I didn’t.
Dreyfuss says that Spacey befriended him and made himself into a sort of “authority figure” before making his move and grabbing the teen’s crotch while his father was in the room with them, a move his father didn’t notice at the time.
First of all, on the scale of sexual abuse, I felt that what happened to me was relatively minor. It wasn’t until this year, when so many people have bravely come out with their stories, and the demand for a better world has gotten such broad support, that I saw my own story has value. What I see now is that when it comes to sexual abuse, there is no such thing as a “minor” assault. And if telling this story will help others speak up, then it is worth it. I also can’t stand that Kevin, in his apology, tried to distract from the real problem here by coming out, and in so doing managed to undermine all the work the LGBT community has done to do away with the association between pedophilia and homosexuality. The fact that he’s gay is not what’s important. Rather, it’s that he has no respect for consent. A lot of people have warned me this could hurt my career because it will make me look like I’m “jumping on the bandwagon.” But as long as the bandwagon is outing a sexual predator…then I’m good with that.
On Wednesday, Spacey’s publicist released a statement that Spacey is seeking unspecified “evaluation and treatment.” When asked to comment on Dreyfuss’s story, Bryan Freedman, a lawyer representing Spacey, said, “Let me be clear, Mr. Spacey absolutely denies the allegations.”
Dreyfuss tweeted on Sunday:
Thanks to anyone who's ever spoken out. I add my story in the hope predators learn there will always be consequences https://t.co/DezeSnr6Gj
— HarryDreyfuss (@harrydreyfuss) November 4, 2017
Support has been tremendous. Let's extend this love to victims who don't come from famous families, and make ALL abusers fear consequences
— HarryDreyfuss (@harrydreyfuss) November 5, 2017
As did his father:
I love my son @harrydreyfuss more than I could explain with all the words in the world. And I am so incredibly proud of him right now. https://t.co/iLOxTxPe4n
— Richard Dreyfuss (@RichardDreyfuss) November 5, 2017
Dreyfuss is just the latest of Spacey’s victims to speak out.
An allegation against Spacey by actor Anthony Rapp last week snowballed into an avalanche of similar allegations including filmmaker Tony Montana, who said that Spacey groped him in public in 2003, and the actor Roberto Cavazos.
That was followed by an as yet unnamed man who claimed Spacey raped him at 15, and 8 crew members on House of Cards who said they were harassed by Spacey as well as a London bartender who said Spacey flashed him and then tried to shut him up with an expensive watch.
Spacey was also dumped by his agency, CAA, and his publicist Polaris.
And Netflix cut its ties with the House of Cards actor.
