Kevin Spacey has taken up a role of a different kind.
The Hollywood actor took the stand as the first witness in his own defence in the sex abuse trial filed against him by actor Anthony Rapp (Star Trek: Discovery) in a New York courtroom on Monday, October 17.
Rapp alleged that Spacey had invited him to his Manhattan home in 1986 and made sexual advances against him.
Rapp was then 14 years old while Spacey was 26.
Sketched glimpses from the trial:
IMAGE: Kevin Spacey testifies in court. Anthony Rapp can also be seen, as US District Judge Lewis Kaplan presides over the proceedings. All photographs: Jane Rosenberg/Reuters
IMAGE: Defence Attorney Chase Scolnick questions Lisa Rocchio, an expert psychologist hired by Rapp. Rocchio claims that Rapp suffers from PTSD because of the alleged assault by Spacey.
IMAGE: Spacey, who pleads not guilty to the charges, presents a diagram of his apartment.
Among the revelations he made in court was his 'complicated family dynamics'.
He said his father was a 'white supremacist and neo-Nazi' and that it was 'humiliating and terrifying when friends came over to the house' as he was not sure what his father might say.
IMAGE: Rapp testifies in court, claiming that Spacey allegedly picked him up like a bridegroom with a bride, and laid him on a bed.
IMAGE: Spacey got emotional as he claimed that he regretted his apology to Rapp in his 2017 statement, following Rapp's allegations published by Buzzfeed.
It was in this statement that Spacey came out as gay for the first time.
IMAGE: John Barrowman, who testified via video, had also visited Spacey's home in 1986, and alleged that Spacey had made a pass at him. But the Doctor Who actor added that he did not feel the same way as Rapp did.
IMAGE: Andy Holtzman, a friend of Rapp's, testified that Spacey had made a similar move on him years earlier.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
