Kevin Spacey testified he apologized after sex-abuse allegation so he wouldn't be viewed as a 'victim blamer'

• Kevin Spacey took the stand in his civil trial over Anthony Rapp's accusation of sexual assault.
• He said he was "shocked," "frightened," and "confused" when news of the allegation broke.

Kevin Spacey testified that when Anthony Rapp's sexual assault allegation against him was reported in 2017, he was "shocked," "frightened," and "confused."

"I didn't know how to respond to this and I needed more information," he testified Monday in US District Court in Manhattan. "I knew I had never been alone with Anthony Rapp, so I didn't know how this could possibly be true."

Rapp, an actor best known for his original portrayal of Mark Cohen in "Rent," is suing Spacey over a sexual assault allegation stemming from an incident when Rapp was 14 at a party held at Spacey's New York apartment.

The allegation was originally reported by Buzzfeed in 2017.

Spacey, who took the stand in the civil trial Monday, said that when he was notified the story was coming out there wasn't a lot of information about when and where the alleged assault took place, and he "needed more information to respond."

His public relations team, though, was already "very, very, very nervous" and insisted that he had to apologize.

They told him that if he denied it, "they'll call you a victim blamer," Spacey testified, on the verge of tears. Even though he felt it wasn't true, "I couldn't push back on the story," he said.

Spacey did apologize, with the caveat of, "if this happened."

An industry already in fear

When Buzzfeed's article was published, the industry was already "very nervous" over the #metoo climate in Hollywood, Spacey testified.

In 2017, "devastating" allegations about Harvey Weinstein's abuse of young actresses had just come to light and had an impact on the mood of the industry, he said.

"I think it frightened a lot of people," he said, adding that Weinstein's accusers showed "enormous courage and bravery."

Still, it made people "very nervous," he said.

"I think there was a lot of fear in the air about who was going to be next," he said. "It was an incredibly important seismic shift in our society."

However, he said the difference between the allegations against Weinstein and the allegations against himself were that the former were more strenuously investigated.