20 The Old Vic Theater Staff Members Accuse Kevin Spacey of Sexually Harassing Them
For the last couple of months, Hollywood has been plagued with sexual abuse allegations involving big names. After victims of Harvey Weinstein of The Weinstein Company revealed themselves last month, several other victims of sexual harassment in Hollywood have emerged, the latest of them being Kevin Spacey's.
Earlier this month, Spacey was accused of "inappropriate behavior" by 20 individuals, who gave their own testimonies of the actor's sexual harassment and intimidation. All the 20 alleged victims said they encountered Spacey at the Old Vic Theater in London between 1995 and 2013, where Spacey served as the theater's artistic director for more than a decade.
In a recent statement, current director Matthew Warchus expressed his sympathy for those who recently came forward to reveal his predecessor's inappropriate behavior years ago, saying that the recent allegations against Spacey came as a surprise for the people of the Old Vic Theater.
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"The Old Vic is now actively engaged in the process of healing and the process of prevention. These allegations have been a shock and a disturbing surprise to many of us. It is incorrect, unfair and irresponsible to say that everybody knew," the director explained. However, he emphasized that future measures will be able to protect their employees better.
"But as a result of the investigation, what we have learnt is how better to call out this behavior in the future. These findings will help not only The Old Vic but our industry as a whole, as together we rapidly evolve an intelligent new standard of protection and support in and around the workplace," Warchus added.
According to the victims, Spacey's behavior ranged from making them feel uncomfortable to sexually harassing them, although none of them claimed to have been raped by the actor. More than half of the allegations reportedly took place inside the theater, but knowledge about Spacey's actions wasn't widespread in the organization because none of the incidents were formally raised with the management.
