Kevin Spacey received a lifetime achievement award from Italy’s National Cinema Museum on Monday.
The ceremony in Turin, Italy, was the actor’s first public appearance in five years, as Spacey has remained silent since numerous sexual assault allegations were made against him in 2017.
Vittorio Sgarbi, the undersecretary of Italy’s culture ministry, presented Spacey, 63, with the prestigious Stella della Mole award during the sold-out event.
“Tonight we see the return of Kevin Spacey,” Sgarbi said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “He who lives through cinema is an immortal man, and it is precisely to him that we present this award tonight.”
Spacey thanked the Italian National Museum of Cinema for having “the courage” and “le palle” (meaning “balls”) to invite him to the event.
“In presenting this award, they are a strong advocate for artistic achievement and for that they must be applauded,” Spacey said.
He became emotional as he thanked his manager Evan Lowenstein, whom he called “the brother I never had”.
“It was because of him that I realized that I had to take all the setbacks and mistakes that I made and get back on my feet, move on,” Spacey said. “It’s not just what he does for me: it’s what he does for his wife, his children, his friends.”
Spacey took part in a masterclass where he spoke with museum director Domenico De Gaetano about his career, which includes leading roles in the Netflix series House of Cards and the movie The Usual Suspects.
Spacey said he felt “extremely lucky” on Monday.
“I’ve been doing this job for over 40 years, and I’ve never received the kindness and support from my fans and colleagues,” he said. “I am honored to be part of this process.”
After the masterclass, Spacey presented a screening of the 1999 film American Beauty, for which he won an Oscar in 2000.
Spacey told Italian news agency Ansa that he continues to lead a normal life, despite the allegations against him.
“I live my life every day, I go to restaurants, I meet people, I drive, I play tennis, I have always met generous, genuine and compassionate people,” he said. “I didn’t hide. I didn’t go live in a cave.
In June, Spacey is set to stand trial in the UK on a number of sex offense charges, including indecent assault, sexual assault and inciting a person to engage in sexual activity without his consent. Spacey has denied all the allegations, which come from four men who accused the actor of assault between 2001 and 2013.
In October 2022, a New York court determined that Spacey did not sexually abuse actor Anthony Rapp when he was underage.
Also last year, Spacey was ordered to pay a nearly US$31 million arbitration settlement to the makers of House of Cards after he was fired for sexually harassing crew members.
Since the allegations, Spacey works mainly in Europe. His film The Man Who Drew God premiered at the Torino Film Festival in December 2022. He will also star in Michael Hoffman’s Italian film Gore as American writer Gore Vidal.
