Production on the final season of “House of Cards” was suspended Tuesday, two days after its star, Kevin Spacey, was accused of having made an unwanted sexual advance toward a 14-year-old boy in the 1980s.
In a statement, Netflix and Media Rights Capital, the studio behind the show, said production was being halted “to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew.”
On Monday, executives from both companies spoke to the cast and crew of “House of Cards” in Baltimore, where production of its sixth season had recently gotten underway. The streaming service announced Monday that the season would be the show’s last. A spokeswoman for Netflix said that decision had been reached months ago, long before the allegation against Spacey.
On Sunday, BuzzFeed reported an allegation by the actor Anthony Rapp that Spacey had made an unwanted sexual advance toward him in the 1980s, when he was 14 and Spacey was in his mid-20s. Spacey released a statement shortly after the article was published in which he said he did not recall the episode but attributed it to “deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.”
The decision to stop production raises questions about whether it will resume, and, if it does, whether Spacey will return to the series. Also Tuesday, Variety reported that the startup MasterClass had pulled Spacey’s $90 online acting lesson videos off from its site.
Over the summer, production for the ABC reality show “Bachelor in Paradise” was shut down after an allegation of sexual misconduct on the show’s set. Production resumed after an investigation turned up no wrongdoing.
Categories: Entertainment
