Anthony Rapp testifies that alleged assault by Kevin Spacey was the ‘most traumatic single occasion’ of his life

“Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp testified Wednesday that the second Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey allegedly climbed on high of him at a New York Metropolis get together in 1986 was “probably the most traumatic single occasion of my life” and induced “lingering impacts.”

Rapp, sitting on the witness stand for the second day of testimony, advised jurors that reminders of Spacey really feel like being poked with a “cattle prod,” including that he’s typically suffering from “disturbing, invasive” ideas in regards to the alleged incident in Spacey’s residence.

Spacey denies Rapp’s allegation. Rapp was 14 on the time of the alleged encounter and Spacey was 26.

Rapp alleges that he first met Spacey after they have been every performing in Broadway reveals in 1986 — Rapp with Ed Harris in “Valuable Sons,” and Spacey alongside Jack Lemmon in “Lengthy Day’s Journey into Night time.” Rapp claims Spacey invited him to a celebration at his residence.

The youthful actor alleges that he didn’t acknowledge anybody on the get together, so he went right into a bed room to observe TV. Rapp testified that sooner or later, an apparently drunk Spacey entered the room, lifted him up, positioned him on a mattress and rested his physique on high of him.

Rapp is looking for $40 million in damages.

Jennifer Keller, considered one of Spacey’s legal professionals, cross-examined Rapp for a second day Wednesday. She sought to painting Rapp as a bitter, struggling actor who was envious of Spacey’s success and jealous of his accolades, together with his two Oscars and one Tony Award.

Rapp tried to rebut that portrait throughout redirect examination from his lead legal professional, Peter Saghir, testifying that whereas it “will surely be good” to win a Tony, he locations a higher premium on being a “working actor” concerned in “tasks I care about.”

“I by no means needed Kevin Spacey’s profession,” Rapp advised jurors. “I needed my profession.”

Rapp appeared to struggle again tears when Saghir requested him if he has lied about his allegations. “I’ve not,” Rapp replied. “It was one thing that occurred to me and it was not okay.”

The comment got here a day after Rapp admitted beneath oath that considered one of his publicly said causes for sharing his allegations with a reporter for BuzzFeed Information was not true.

Rapp’s legal professionals mentioned of their opening assertion final week that he was impressed to share his allegations with reporter Adam B. Differ after studying an article by which Oscar-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o detailed a sexual harassment declare towards Harvey Weinstein, who has denied all allegations of misconduct.

However a screenshot of a textual content message produced by Spacey’s legal professionals Tuesday apparently confirmed that Rapp first contacted Differ eight days earlier, writing partially: “I’m wanting to talk out about another person very highly effective within the trade.”

Nyong’o wrote about her allegations towards Weinstein in an essay printed in The New York Occasions on Oct. 19, 2017, based on a timestamp on the publication’s web site. The newspaper printed its first investigation of Weinstein‘s sample of sexual misconduct on Oct. 5, 2017.

Rapp’s textual content message to Differ was despatched on Oct. 11, 2017, based on a screenshot proven to jurors on Tuesday.

Rapp didn’t dispute the accuracy of the textual content message, however in testimony Wednesday he tried to account for the obvious discrepancy.

He testified that whereas he acknowledges that Nyong’o’s essay was printed earlier than the BuzzFeed article, her article “cemented and confirmed” his curiosity in giving an interview about his alleged encounter with Spacey.

Rapp claimed that his preliminary textual content message to Differ was the start of an “exploratory” dialog about how the reporting course of would work. He testified on Tuesday that he was not concerned within the publication course of and didn’t see a draft of the article earlier than it was printed.

Spacey’s authorized group has tried to attract out different discrepancies in Rapp’s account of occasions. Rapp testified that he recollects the alleged assault going down in a bed room, for instance, however Spacey’s legal professionals declare their shopper lived in a studio residence and not using a bed room in 1986.

Rapp testified that he has shared his Spacey allegation with pals over time, however he doesn’t know “the quantity” of individuals he has advised. He testified that he by no means reported his allegation to the police or any legislation enforcement company.

Rapp defined that whereas he was very shut together with his mom rising up, he didn’t inform her about his alleged encounter with Spacey as a result of he didn’t need her to “fear” or put limits on his independence whereas they have been residing collectively in New York.

He additionally mentioned that he didn’t embrace the allegation in his memoir, “With out You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Lease,” printed in 2006.

He advised jurors that the e-book was narrowly “centered” on his experiences performing within the unique Broadway solid of the musical “Lease” in addition to the demise of his mom.

Within the afternoon, jurors heard testimony from Dr. Lisa Rocchio, a medical and forensic psychologist who mentioned she spent 9 and a half hours with Rapp and located no proof of “exaggeration” or “malingering,” a case the place an individual feigns signs.

Rocchio testified that as an adolescent within the years after the alleged encounter, Rapp skilled “disgrace, uncertainty and confusion” — emotions she mentioned have been in keeping with somebody who was a sufferer of childhood sexual abuse.

She went on to inform jurors that, in 2017, Rapp “met the complete DSMV-5 standards” for post-traumatic stress dysfunction, or PTSD. She mentioned his signs included “intrusive, undesirable ideas” in addition to “misery, emotional upset, unhappiness, anger and worry.”

Spacey, sporting a darkish grey go well with and pale pink shirt with an orange patterned tie, listened intently throughout Rocchio’s testimony.

Rocchio is anticipated to face cross-examination from Spacey’s legal professionals when the trial resumes on Thursday morning.

Rapp is a sequence common on the Paramount+ present “Star Trek: Discovery.” Spacey’s profession got here to an abrupt halt after Rapp and different individuals publicly leveled sexual misconduct allegations towards him.