Why Anthony Rapp Revealed Kevin Spacey's Alleged Sexual Advances: 'I Wanted to Shine a Light'

Anthony Rapp has spoken out about why he exposed Kevin Spacy for allegedly trying to "seduce him" when Rapp was only 14

Anthony Rapp has spoken out about why he exposed Kevin Spacey for allegedly making inappropriate sexual advances toward him when Rapp was only 14.

The longtime movie, TV and Broadway actor, who’s 46 and openly gay, went public with the alleged incident in a BuzzFeed article published Sunday, just hours before Spacey apologized and came out as a gay man.

“I came forward with my story, standing on the shoulders of the many courageous women and men who have been speaking out, to shine a light and hopefully make a difference, as they have done for me,” the actor said in a statement to PEOPLE. “Everything I wanted to say about my experience is in that article, and I have no further comment about it at this time.”

Rapp alleged that then-26-year-old Spacey invited him to his Manhattan apartment for a party in 1986. (They were both starring in hit Broadway plays at the time.) Rapp says he was the only teen at the party and spent most of the evening in a bedroom watching television when he realized everyone had left and he was alone with Spacey.

“My memory was that I thought, ‘Oh, everybody’s gone. Well, yeah, I should probably go home,’” Rapp told BuzzFeed. Spacey, he said, “sort of stood in the doorway, kind of swaying. My impression when he came in the room was that he was drunk … He picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I don’t, like, squirm away initially, because I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ And then he lays down on top of me.”

“He was trying to seduce me,” Rapp said. “I don’t know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually.”

Omar Tobias Vega/Getty

Spacey, 58, issued a statement late Sunday saying he doesn’t remember the alleged incident, apologizing for “for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior” and announcing, “I choose now to live as a gay man.” Almost immediately, high-profile LBGTQ actors like Wanda Sykes and Billy Eichner criticized the statement, with GLAAD cautioning that Spacey coming out should not “deflect” from Rapp’s allegation.

“This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life,” Spacey said in the statement. “I know that there are stories out there about me and that some have been fueled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy. As those closes to me know, in my life, I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic relationships with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man. I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behavior.”

Rapp previously shared this story with The Advocate in 2001 but declined to name Spacey at the time. He tweeted Sunday that he decided to identify Spacey because of people who have come forward with their own stories of sexual harassment following the allegations made against Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein. (A spokesperson for the producer said, “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein.”)