Kevin Spacey, who recently pleaded not guilty to multiple sexual misconduct charges in the UK, made his first public appearance at the National Museum of Cinema in Turin, Italy on Monday, where he was presented with the Stella della Mole Award for lifetime achievement.
Kevin Spacey was honored with the Stella della Mole Award for lifetime achievement at the National Museum of Cinema in Turin, Italy on Monday. The actor was invited to attend a masterclass on his life and career with the museum director, this was his first public event since pleading not guilty to multiple sexual misconduct charges in London, England last week. The alleged offences are reported to have occurred between 2001 and 2005.
Enzo Ghigo, the President of the National Museum of Cinema, and Vittorio Sgarbi, Undersecretary to the Italian Ministry of Culture, presented the Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey with the Stella della Mole Award for lifetime achievement. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sgarbi stated, “Tonight, we are witnessing Kevin Spacey’s comeback.
The one living through cinema is an immortal man, and it is precisely him that we are awarding this prize to tonight.” Spacey thanked the museum for having “the balls” to invite him to the event. He then participated in a masterclass with the museum’s director Domenico De Gaetano at the Mole Antonelliana in Turin, where he discussed his career.
Kevin Spacey given lifetime achievement award in Italy https://t.co/IGAcnLTyLA
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) January 17, 2023
He stated, “Tonight, I consider myself extremely lucky. I’ve been doing this job for over 40 years, and I’ve only ever received kindness and support from my fans and coworkers. And I am honored to be part of this process.”
After the masterclass, his Oscar-winning performance in American Beauty (1999) was screened. Kevin Spacey expressed his gratitude to his manager Evan Lowenstein for his support throughout his troubles. He revealed that it was due to Lowenstein that he “realized I had to take all the setbacks and mistakes I made and get back on my feet, move on.”
The event did not bring up the actor’s legal issues. In addition to the ongoing court case in the UK, Kevin Spacey was found not liable in October 2022 for another sexual misconduct case in the US involving actor Anthony Rapp as a teenager. He is currently out on unconditional bail until the UK trial continues later this year.
In 2017, Spacey faced allegations of sexual misconduct from multiple individuals, including Anthony Rapp. As a result, he was removed from the final season of Netflix’s House of Cards and his role in Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World (2017) was recast with Christopher Plummer.