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Kevin Spacey will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award today at Cannes for his ‘impact on cinema in the arts’, two years after he was cleared of sexual assault on four men.
The controversial actor, 65, will be honoured today at a gala hosted by the Better World Fund as he continues to return to the public eye after a lengthy UK trial in 2023 cleared him of allegations.
Spacey, who is making his first visit to Cannes since 2016 to promote his new film, The Awakening, will be ‘recognised not only for his decades of artistic brilliance but also his enduring impact on cinema and the arts,’ according to a statement made by the fund.
The gala is not an official part of the French film festival but the Carlton Hotel plays host to much of the activities during the prestigious event in Cannes.
Since 2017, more than 30 men have accused the two-time Oscar-winning actor of sexual assault or inappropriate behaviour, which led to Netflix axing his role on House of Cards.
In July 2023, the American Beauty star was found not guilty of assaulting four men after a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court, in one of the UK’s most high-profile #MeToo trials.
The decision to celebrate Spacey by Better World Fund, a charity which aims to make a ‘positive impact on the world’, has sparked outrage, with many calling it a ‘disgrace’ to the MeToo movement.
The two-time Oscar-winning actor defiantly vowed not to give up on acting after being in ‘exile’ for seven years (Spacey pictured in Los Angeles in 1996 after winning best supporting actor for his role in The Usual Suspects)
Kevin Spacey is seen speaking to the press outside Southwark Crown Court, London, in July 2023 after he was found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men
One person on X wrote: ‘Abusive men in our society are never “cancelled” – honestly losing my mind Cannes.’
Another added: ‘Cannes sh**s the bed every year. Their commitment to being the worst festival and a safe haven for men who belong in hell is unmatched.’
While one person wrote: ‘Kevin Spacey, Ezra Miller, Shia Labeouf and every other Hollywood abuser known to mankind prancing around Cannes but somehow nude and voluminous dresses were the real problem.’
It comes months after the actor was hit with another sexual abuse claim, court records show, 18 months after he was cleared of a series of criminal charges.
Ruari Cannon is suing Mr Spacey at the High Court, as well as two organisations connected to the Old Vic Theatre in London.
Dushal Mehta, of law firm Fieldfisher, confirmed that he had issued a claim on behalf of Mr Cannon, and also said that he had waived his anonymity in the claim.
No details of the allegations involved are currently available.
Spacey was previously acquitted in criminal proceedings of several sexual offences alleged by four men between 2001 and 2013.
One of the men, who cannot be identified, has also sued Mr Spacey over his claims he was sexually assaulted by the actor and suffered ‘psychiatric damage’, which the actor denies.
The actor has denied all allegations of inappropriate behaviour and criminal wrongdoing.
Spacey’s Academy Awards were for best supporting actor for The Usual Suspects in 1996 and best actor in 2000 for American Beauty, which also secured him a Bafta for leading actor.
Last April, the actor appeared to dismiss claims of inappropriate behaviour in Channel 4’s documentary as he praised the men in the show for their ‘great acting’.
The lifetime achievement award for Mr Spacey at Cannes has sparked outrage on X
The lifetime achievement award for Mr Spacey has caused outrage online
One person wrote on X: ‘Kevin Spacey, Ezra Miller, Shia Labeouf and every other Hollywood abuser known to mankind prancing around Cannes but somehow nude and voluminous dresses were the real problem’
Channel 4’s two-part series came nine months after Mr Spacey was cleared of nine sexual assault charges and looked at fresh claims against him made by several men, ‘almost all of whom have never spoken before’.
It is said to take a ‘forensic look at a man who was once one of the most admired and respected actors in the world’.
But Mr Spacey seemed to disregard the show as a work of fiction in a statement given to entertainment magazine Variety.
He said: ‘I’m honoured to be starring in my first film with Warner Brothers in many years.
‘I hope the Academy takes note of some of the great acting by the lesser-known cast.’
In May 2024, he thanked his fellow actors for defending him amidst the sexual abuse allegations.
A raft of A-listers – including Liam Neeson and Sharon Stone – rallied around the Oscar-winning star to call for an end to his ‘seven-year exile’.
The American Beauty actor went on NewsNation with Chris Cuomo to express his gratitude for the support he received from colleagues.
‘I’m enormously gratified that friends of mine who reached out to me and that I’ve been speaking to for your years now have been motivated by this documentary that was put out.’
Fresh allegations were made against him in a new Channel 4 bombshell documentary – and Mr Spacey accused the broadcaster of ‘having an agenda’ in deciding to go ahead with airing its two-part film, Spacey Unmasked.
Mr Spacey pictured leaving Southwark Crown Court in 2023 after he was found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men
Channel 4’s two-part series came nine months after Spacey was cleared of nine sexual assault charges and looked at fresh claims against him made by several men
The documentary featured previously unheard testimonies about the actor’s alleged inappropriate behaviour.
In an interview with former GB News presenter Dan Wootton, he commented on claims made in an upcoming Channel 4 documentary.
While accepting he may at times have behaved inappropriately in the past, he denied his behaviour was illegal.
Mr Spacey has been cleared of sexual assault in trials in the US and UK.
‘I take full responsibility for my past behaviour and my actions. But I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologise to anyone who’s made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me.’
