Anthony Rapp Hopes He Helped 'Change the Culture' by Revealing Kevin Spacey Sexual Assault

During a red carpet interview on Thursday, actor Anthony Rapp explained his decision to come forward with sexual assault allegations against Kevin Spacey out of fear that if he didn't speak up, the abuse would "keep happening."

While attending the premiere for the second season of Star Trek Discovery, in which he plays Lt. Paul Stamets, Rapp explained that he hopes he did his part to “change the culture” by coming forward.

"I know that it’s something that needs continued movement forward and I’m going to keep doing my best to be a part of the movement forward,” the actor said. "I was just concerned that it would be something that could keep happening, so if I could do something that would make a difference, I was eager to."

Rapp accused Spacey of sexual abuse during an interview in 2017. The actor told BuzzFeed News that the alleged abuse occurred in 1986 while Rapp, then 14, was attending a house party at 26-year-old Spacey's New York apartment. As the festivities started to die down at the end of the night, Rapp was watching TV in one of the bedrooms when Spacey reportedly entered the room and began touching him inappropriately. The Star Trek Discovery actor previously cited the many women in Hollywood as inspiration for his decision to reveal the allegations against Spacey.

After Rapp's courageous decision to open up about the abuse, dozens of individuals similarly came forward accusing Spacey of sexual misconduct. The former House of Cards protagonist was fired by Netflix shortly after that.