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Kevin Spacey is to accept a lifetime achievement award in Cannes next week, in what may constitute one of the most high-profile “uncancellings” of the #MeToo era.
On Tuesday, the Oscar-winning actor is set to receive an award for excellence in film and television at the Better World Fund’s 10th anniversary gala dinner at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes.
Spacey, who is also visiting the world’s biggest film festival to help find buyers for his new film The Awakening, will be “recognised not only for his decades of artistic brilliance but also for his enduring impact on cinema and the arts”, according to a statement made by the fund. The Awakening is being presented in the Marche du Cannes, the industry market in the basement of the Palais du Cinema.
The gala is not an official part of the Cannes film festival, however, the Carlton hotel is one of the premiere sites of festival activity. The Guardian has contacted the festival’s press office to clarify whether Spacey will be granted the privilege of a red carpet appearance.
In July 2023, Spacey was found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men after a four-week trial at Southwark crown court, in one of the UK’s most high-profile #MeToo trials. He was previously cleared of sexual assault charges in a 2022 civil lawsuit in New York.
Since 2017, more than 30 men have accused Spacey of sexual assault or inappropriate behaviour, which led to Netflix shelving his biopic of Gore Vidal and removing him from the last season of House of Cards.
Earlier this year, Spacey responded bullishly to remarks by the actor Guy Pearce, who reiterated claims that Spacey had behaved inappropriately on the set of 1997 film LA Confidential.
Pearce told the Hollywood Reporter that Spacey “targeted me, no question”. He said he was “scared of Kevin because he’s quite an aggressive man”, before revealing that he had broken down in tears on learning of other allegations against Spacey in 2017.
“We worked together a long time ago,” responded Spacey in a video, addressing Pearce. “If I did something then that upset you, you could have reached out to me. We could have had that conversation, but instead, you’ve decided to speak to the press, who are now, of course, coming after me, because they would like to know what my response is to the things that you said. You really want to know what my response is? Grow up.”
Last week, the Cannes festival banned an actor from the red carpet after it became aware of allegations of rape against him. And the festival’s opening day, last Tuesday, was overshadowed by the conviction of one of its most lauded figures, the actor Gerard Depardieu, on sexual assault charges.
