An Irish comedian has said she doesn't know many actors of her era who don't have a "Kevin Spacey story".

Aisling Bea made the comment after Spacey released a statement in which he apologised for any "inappropriate, drunken behaviour" with a 14-year-old in 1986.

"I don't know many actors from my era of drama school graduates who don't have a Kevin Spacey story," Bea wrote on Twitter. "The surprise is the lack of surprise."

She was asked to elaborate on whether she was talking about allegations like those against Spacey or stories specifically about Spacey.

"Specifically," she replied.

The double Oscar-winner has apologised to fellow actor Anthony Rapp, who said Spacey made a sexual advance towards him in 1986, when he was 14.

Spacey said in a post on Twitter on Sunday that he was "beyond horrified" to hear Rapp's story of the encounter, which he said he did not remember.

He wrote that he owed Rapp a "sincere apology" for what he said would have been "deeply inappropriate, drunken behaviour".

In an interview with BuzzFeed, Rapp described attending a party hosted by Spacey in which the actor picked him up, took him to a bed and lay down on top of him after other guests had left.

Rapp, who said he had the impression Spacey was drunk, pushed him away and left. Spacey (58), who has won acting Oscars for The Usual Suspects and American Beauty, also said Rapp's story had encouraged him to address "other things" in his life.

"I have loved and had rom- antic encounters with men throughout my life, and I now choose to live life as a gay man," he wrote.

"I want to deal with this honestly and openly," he said. "And that starts with me examining my own behaviour."

For years, the actor had declined to publicly discuss his sexuality.

Rapp, who went on to star in the musical Rent, was starting his career on Broadway at the time of the incident.

Seduce

"He was trying to seduce me," he told BuzzFeed of the encounter with Spacey.

"I don't know if I would have used that language, but I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually."

Rapp said on Twitter that he had decided to come forward and tell his story, "standing on the shoulders of the many courageous women and men who have been speaking out, to shine a light and hopefully make a difference, as they have done for me".

Everything he wanted to say about the experience had been covered in the interview, Rapp tweeted, adding that he had no further comment to make.

Spacey, a Tony Award winner for Lost In Yonkers, stars in the political drama House Of Cards, although last night it emerged the Netflix show will finish at the end of its sixth season.

He was also artistic director of London's The Old Vic theatre company for 10 years.

Some people on social media were infuriated by Spacey's conflation of the incident and his coming out as gay.

Actor and writer Louise Brealey said: "Trying to hide behind coming out and offering drunkenness as an excuse for jumping on a child shows breathtaking arrogance."

Vanity Fair film critic Richard Lawson wrote: "The psychology of living in the closet was dark, cruel and self-punishing.

"That Spacey has dwelt in that for years is sad. But 14 is 14. The distance we've had to walk to get away from the notion that we're all paedophiles is significant.

"How dare you implicate us all in this."

Colm O'Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty Ireland, also criticised Spacey's decision to bring his sexuality into his apology.

"The first thing to acknowledge is that this is an allegation of an attempted sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy going back some three decades, and right now it is that - an allegation," he said.

"There are elements of Kevin Spacey's statement where he appears to acknowledge that the allegation is credible.

Inexcusable

"First of all, what I feel that is rather inexcusable is he seems to somehow refute it by suggesting it was entirely drunken, inappropriate behaviour.

"Alcohol is not an excuse for either sexually assaulting or attempting to sexually assault anybody, let alone a 14-year-old child.

"When an adult man sexually assaults a 14-year-old girl or child, we don't immediately point out that person is heterosexual, nor would we in any way allow their sexual orientation to be used as an excuse for what is a very serious criminal act.

"Kevin Spacey's sexual orientation has nothing whatsoever to do with whether or not he sexually assaulted or attempted to sexually assault a child. Those are two separate issues."