Kevin Spaceyhas secured another award as he continues his efforts to make a comeback. The disgraced actor and director received the Maximo Excellence award at the inaugural Italian Global Series Festival in Riccione, Italy. Spacey’s career hit a dramatic halt in 2017 as sexual misconduct allegations began to surface against him. Those allegations led to his highly publicized dismissal from Netflix’s critically acclaimedHouse of Cards, where he had portrayed the lead role of Frank Underwood. He was also replaced in Ridley Scott’s filmAll the Money in the Worldduring post-production, with Christopher Plummer reshooting his scenes.
Since his acquittal on charges in the US in 2022 and in the UK in 2023, Spacey has appeared in several independent features. Among these projects is the 2022 Italian dramaL’uomo Che Disegnò Dio(The Man Who Drew God), directed by and starring Franco Nero. This film, based on a true story, centers on Nero’s character Emanuele, “a blind artist with the gift of creating true-to-life portraits.” Spacey played a police detective in the movie, and the role notably marked his return to acting after the damning allegations.
Kevin Spacey Gives Controversial Speech About Blacklisting & “Cancel Culture” at Cannes
The Academy Award-winning actor talked about blacklists, “cancel culture” and forgiving.
During his acceptance speech, Spacey praised Nero. According to Variety, Spacey said the filmmaker had “stepped up to cast me a few years ago when very few had the guts, and I thank him for that.” He also spoke out about his love for Italy:
“This award tonight means a lot to me because Italy holds a spacial place in my heart. I love coming to this country, whether just to visit or I have a job. I’ve shot many films in Italy.”
Last summer, Spacey was presented with the Nations Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Italian town of Taormina.
Kevin Spacey Continues His Comeback
During this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Spacey was recognized with a lifetime achievement award during an event gala hosted by the Better World Fund (Cannes Film Festival organizers said they had “no involvement in, and was not informed of, either the invitation extended to Mr. Spacey or the award presented during this private event.") While collecting the latter award,Spacey framed himself as a victim of blacklisting, drawing parallels to historical McCarthyism, saying:
“I’ve learned a lot from history — it often repeats itself. The Blacklist was a terrible time in our history [we must remember] so that it never happens again.”
Before the allegations and court appearances, Spacey was an acclaimed actor in Hollywood, having won two Academy Awards. In 1995, he earned the Best Supporting Actor Oscar forThe Usual Suspects, and in 1999, he took home the Best Actor Oscar forAmerican Beauty.
His ongoing comeback attempts include his third directorial effort,a supernatural action thriller titledHoliguards, which will co-star Spacey alongside Dolph Lundgren and is expected to be the first installment of a trilogy. In addition toThe Man Who Drew God, Spacey has appeared in other independent features such asControl(2023) andPeter Five Eight(2024). And Spacey seems to be adamant about continuing his comeback. He concluded his latest award speech with a nod to hisSe7encharacter, killer John Doe:
“As I say to Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman when asked, ‘Where are we headed?’ I simply respond with, ‘You’ll see.'”
Although Spacey has beaten cases against him in the US and the UK, in February, actor Ruari Cannon filed a civil lawsuit in London’s High Court against Spacey and the Old Vic Theatre entities related to allegations of sexual misconduct.
