Mena Suvari Breaks Silence on Kevin Spacey Allegations

Mena Suvari is opening up about the sexual assault allegations against her former American Beauty co-star Kevin Spacey for the first time.

The actress, who is set to star in Kyle Richards’ upcoming Paramount Network series American Woman, spoke about the actor during an interview on Megyn Kelly Today on Tuesday.

“I think with everything that I’ve been seeing that everyone’s been going through, it’s shocking,” Suvari said of the allegations, PEOPLE reports. “It’s really heart-wrenching.”

“It’s important to focus on the conversation that’s happening and the healing, the victims — the right thing that’s to come out of this,” she continued. “That’s sort of what I try to hope for and focus on the most. It’s something that we’re truly changing and moving out of.“

Spacey won an Academy Award for 1999’s American Beauty, in which he played a 42-year-old advertising executive who has a midlife crisis when he becomes sexually attracted with his teenage daughter’s best friend. The Sam Mendes-directed film won four other Oscars, including Best Picture.

Despite the controversy, Suvari considers the film a fond memory of her career in Hollywood.

“For me, having the opportunity to work on American Beauty was something that was so special and so beautiful,” Suvari said. “I was so young and was so grateful to have a job. And to be working with such experienced individuals. Everyone on that set was wonderful to me. I had a beautiful experience working on that film.”

The former House of Cards star was accused of sexual assault or misconduct by more than a dozen men after Anthony Rapp described his own experience in an interview with Buzzfeed.

Rapp claimed that he had gone to a party in Spacey’s Manhattan apartment in 1986, when he was a teenager. He said that he and Spacey had spent most of the evening in a bedroom, watching TV. As the night progressed, he realized he was alone with the movie star.

“My memory was that I thought, Oh, everybody’s gone. Well, yeah, I should probably go home,” Rapp said.

However, at that point Rapp said that Spacey lifted him up, “like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I don’t, like, squirm away initially, because I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ And then he lays down on top of me.”

Several more people accused the actor of sexual harassment or assault since and in April, one sexual assault case against the star, reported to have taken place in October of 1992 in West Hollywood involving a male adult, was turned over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for further review. Scotland Yard also currently has several open investigations into alleged assaults by Spacey in London.

Spacey has since been fired from the final season of his Emmy-winning Netflix drama, House of Cards.

Suvari’s new series American Woman premieres June 7 at 10 p.m. ET on Paramount Network.