Italy christens Kevin Spacey’s “comeback” with lifetime achievement award
Kevin Spacey accepted the Stella Della Mole prize from Italy’s National Museum of Cinema in Turin on Monday
Aux News Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey has received a lifetime achievement award from Italy’s National Museum of Cinema. The awards ceremony in Turin on Monday marked Spacey’s first public event since facing sexual assault charges, per The Hollywood Reporter.
“Tonight we’re witnessing Kevin Spacey’s comeback,” said Vitoria Sgarbi, Undersecretary to the Italian Ministry of Culture, when presenting Spacey with the “Stella Della Mole” award alongside National Museum president Enzo Ghigo. Sgarbi added: “The one living through cinema is an immortal man, and it is precisely him that we are awarding this prize to tonight.”
In his acceptance speech, Spacey thanked Ghigo and Sgarbi for having “the courage, the balls, to invite me.” He also lauded his manager Evan Lowenstein, calling him “the brother I never had.”
“When you have a friend like Evan Lowenstein, life can be something pretty special,” Spacey shared. “It’s thanks to him that I realized I had to take all the setbacks and mistakes I made and get back on my feet, move on.”
During the speech, Spacey only alluded to his legal troubles, never directly naming the “mistakes” and “setbacks” that have defined his public persona of late. Spacey currently faces multiple criminal charges in the U.K., including sexual assault, indecent assault, and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
Spacey has pleaded not guilty to all counts. In late October, a jury found him not liable in a sexual misconduct trial brought to court by actor Anthony Rapp. Rapp accused Spacey of sexually assaulting him in 1986, when Rapp was 14 years old. In a statement following his legal loss, Rapp highlighted that his $40 million suit against Spacey “was always about shining a light, as part of the larger movement to stand up against all forms of sexual violence.”
Not liable verdict aside, Spacey has struggled to find work stateside in light of the barrage of allegations against him. After Netflix fired him from House Of Cards (and other projects followed suit), Spacey had to pay the streamer $31 million in an arbitration settlement regarding sexual misconduct with young HOC crew members. However, the actor has been able to find some work in Europe, even as his U.K. trial looms.
While in Italy for the award ceremony, Spacey also participated in a masterclass at Turin’s Temple Hall of the Mole Antonelliana, which included a special screening of American Beauty, Sam Mendes’ 2000 drama about suburban ennui and sexual frustration that won Spacey an Oscar. Before the film, Spacey shared a career-spanning chat with National Museum director Domenico De Gaetano.
“Tonight I consider myself extremely lucky,” Spacey said during the conversation. “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.”
74 Comments
Is that the award he’s holding? May I suggest somewhere to stick it?
It looks like a jack from the game Jacks.
I bet it’s not made out of Nerf.
Fuck Kevin Spacey but it’s pretty funny he’s going to be ending his career being in shitty low budget Eastern European filmed geezer teasers that cater to people who still rent movies from Redbox.
Yeah, it’s pretty funny that a multiple-rapist will still be paid to do make-believe. Hilarious, even.
What allegations against him have been proven true? Or are you just weak willed and believe any accusation? So for example, you believe what Tara Reade accused Joe Biden of…?
I don’t give a shit my man. I simply don’t want to see Kevin Spacey in movies anymore.
Hey as long as these feelings predate any accusations against him? Cool.
If they don’t predate the accusations, shouldn’t you give a shit if the accusations are true?
“Hey as long as these feelings predate any accusations against him?”
Nope. I formed my opinion the second that one accusation was made, and I’ll never change my mind.
Do something about it, tough guy.
Blech. Just dismiss him. He’s trying to get attention.
Every single person who comments here does it for attention lol.
Ric Torso.
“What allegations against him have been proven true?”
I couldn’t give a rat’s ass.
“Or are you just weak willed and believe any accusation?”
No, I’m a strong-willed, reasonable person who decided that countless accusations against him are all lies because I’m a sad cunt.
I do, and we all should absolutely believe Tara Reade. 3 of the last 5 us presidents are confirmed rapists.
When was trump found guilty and confirmed to be a rapist?
I love the fact that you’re defending someone you wouldn’t put children next to lol.
Show me where I defended Joe Biden.
Why? You’ve already made yourself a moron to all readers.
Great job.
Oh? Prove it. I love this part. Go on son.
To bad Jesus Franco is dead, in the seventies and eighties he was the king of giving past their due date actors a role in one of the hundreds of films he released.
Dude really is as shitty as the people he plays.
He legit reminds me of Bishop James Timlin in how brazen and defiant he is. Timlin seems to absolutely delight in getting out there and participating in Diocesan events even though the Church itself has asked him to keep a low profile and it seems like he does it to rub victims’ noses in the fact that he hasn’t faced any real punishment – just like Spacey seems to whenever the opportunity presents itself, which has been pretty infrequent, fortunately.The Church is reaping what they’ve sown there, because the right thing to do would’ve been to defrock him and let him figure out his own retirement arrangements, but at least they didn’t promote him like JPII promoted Bernard Law, I guess.
Isn’t one major difference that we know Timlin is an abuser, while we dont know that about Spacey?
What allegations have been proven that make him shitty?
“What allegations have been proven that make him shitty?”
Wow, how strange!Who know a rapist was gonna have another rapist’s back.
He appeared in Nine Lives.
Giving you a star, first person here with a legit grievance against the guy.
How dare you slander K-PAX.
“Kevin Spacey has received a lifetime achievement award”
So, which is it? Did he accept “top Italian film prize” or was he given a largely meaningless lifetime achievement award?
I know it’s a semantic argument, but there has literally never been an Italian actor whose dream it was to receive a lifetime achievement award. This was an award given by a MUSEUM, it’s not as if these are even the Italian equivalent of ithe Oscars.
That’s like saying that the Cecil B Demille is Hollywood’s top film award.
Also, the fact that some Italian film body gave him a lifetime achievement award DOESN’T mean that his comeback is on. Do you think that Hollywood is run by the Italian Museum of Film?
Having a pasty, waxy face and wearing a tiny bowtie is not a look that says, ‘I am not a paedophile.’
I mean, if any artistically inclined country is going to give an award to a sexual predator, it’s gonna be Italy.
There is a typo in the article. Vittorio Sgarbi is the person referenced above, misspelled. He is a right wing blabbermouth art historian who is more interested in exhibitionism and TV appearances than curating quality art. Keep in mind Italy is headed by a far right government so having Sgarbi appointed to a position of influence is no surprise, and thus no surprise that in turn a controversial person like Spacey is getting lauded by the state.
Keep in mind Italy is headed by a far right governmentIt’s about as far right as you can get these days. The PM praised Mussolini of all people. Just imagine if the Chancellor of Germany praised Hitler.
There is a typo in the article. Vittorio Sgarbi is the person referenced above, misspelled.
I find that hard to believe.
Yeah, isnt the sexual predator Asia Argento from Italy?
I was thinking the same thing but didn’t want to say it out loud. And I love Italy. It’s one of my favorite places in the world.But, uh…a lot of creeps. A looooot of creeps.
The Mussolinis are still around and some hold political power. They have issues.
Well, that sounds terrible.[/understatement]
Alexandra Mussolini is the one I’m thinking about. Granddaughter of the fascist dictator, famously said better to be a fascist then a F** to a gay person. Italy is rough politically.
Mussolini’s party, as in the political party that literally invented fascism, is currently ruling their government and his family is still holding power, as you said. So yeah, they’ve definitely got some scary things going on sociopolitically.
Yep I do not foresee myself going to Italy anytime soon. Shame, it has a lovely history and plenty of good people. But the Brothers of Italy and Maloni are just fascists without the black shirts.
I’d argue also France.
The French come off more weird than creepy.Of course, we’re all Puritans in the US compared to Europeans.
Speaking of Italian Cinema …RIP Gina Lollobrigida(I just commented elsewhere that I’m shocked there’s been no mention of her death on this site, and then I saw this article about an Italian Cinema award winner, unfortunately it’s about one that nobody wants to read about or hear from anymore. For shame, AV Club!)
I’m willing to bet there aren’t a lot of readers or writers here who are familiar with her work, as this is a US based website.
Half of the RIPs I see on this site are people I’m unfamiliar with, and I’m not exactly bereft of a lifetime’s supply of trivia (and then some).
There are a few I don’t recognize, too. I wasn’t trying to discredit her either, I just wanted to point out the probable reason why there hasn’t been an article about it.
I just wanted to point out the probable reason why there hasn’t been an article about itI mean, this is the AV Club – it’s hard to fathom a probable reason – it’s not like she was some obscure second assistant gaffer in old European art-house movies (no offence to gaffers or art-house movies!) She was the lead actress in some big budget movies back in the day, paired opposite the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn, Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, (and in a film we had on VHS when I was a kid) Yul Brynner …from Wikipedia: She was one of the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and early 1960s, a period in which she was an international sex symbol. At the time of Lollobrigida’s death, she was among the last living high-profile international actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.And I’ve seen that last line mentioned in all the obits on TV – last of the Golden Age of Hollywood. So actually, this being an American site makes the omission even worse …
And she was an influence on Carl Barks’s creation of Magica De Spell!…Well, that’s meaningful to me, anyway.
Wait, you think Gina Lollobrigida wasn’t/isn’t famous in the US?
“I just commented elsewhere that I’m shocked there’s been no mention of her death on this site, and then I realized this is the fucking AV Club and it’s fucking 2023”
Fixed.
I’m Italian smh.
“Tonight I consider myself extremely lucky,” Spacey said during the conversation. “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.”
Now that is something.
Turin hosts another shrouding. How biblical.
The sad thing is me simply asking this will make some angry, but fuck those worthless assholes: has there been any evidence so far to support ANY of the allegations against Spacey? Any at all?
his own admission
Link me to his admission he sexually assaulted somebody, because I googled it and cant find it. I know you wouldn’t lie Dylan, and I know you wouldn’t twist “If I did it I’m sorry” into an admission of guilt, correct?
“I know you wouldn’t twist “If I did it I’m sorry” into an admission of guilt, correct?
No more than you’ll pretend that it isn’t.
“The sad thing is me simply asking this will make some angry”
The sad thing is pretending that you’re asking a genuine question.
Multiple criminal charges don’t tend to come with zero evidence. Also there was that one time he literally apologized to the first (of over 30) accusers. So yeah, there is.
It’s not the question that will make people angry, it’s the fact that this isn’t google.com, where you should have asked it, if you were actually concerned with getting an answer, and not some muckraking asshole who’s “just asking questions.” Someone in this conversation is a worthless asshole, and it’s not the people who would be upset at that.
So nobody innocent has ever been hit with multiple criminal charges? Noted.He said he is sorry IF it happened. Not an admission of guilt. He also said, under oath, he didn’t assault him and made the apology to save face.I have no idea which statement is the truth, can you explain to me why you cherry pick when you believe the shit he spews forth from his mouth?I did Google it, no Google link showed evidence of assault. And with so many worthless assholes acting like he is guilty I figured these motherfuckers were the right people to ask.
So nobody guilty has ever lied under oath?
Sorry you weren’t invited to the criminal investigation.
Brennan and Clapper lied under oath so yeah it does happen. I literally said I don’t know which statement is the truth. I did ask why you cherry pick when you believe the shit that comes out of his mouth.
Especially when he never even said “sorry I assaulted you”. He said IF it happened, he was sorry. That’s not even the admission of guilt you claim. Why did you feel the need to lie? Is nuance not a thing you’re capable of or did you just think I wasn’t aware of the exact wording he used?
Hahahaha yeah I was wondering how long it would take you to progress to step 2 of the MAGA playbook, and you did it with a MAGA reference. Good job, really, absolutely textbook.
It amuses me you consider facts a MAGA playbook. And using it as an excuse to ignore the other points I made? *chefs kiss* Perfecto.
My dude, your “facts” are irrelevant. I’m not responding to your shit just because you’re flinging it. Here’s a tip: get fucked.
Sure as hell had no problems responding with lies, but I accept your surrender…have a lovely day kiddo 🙂
thick Rockhead.
Gross
Viva Italia!
Mamma Mia!
American Beauty is from 1999. You’d think a pop culture website would get something as basic as that right.
Considering how openly Italian cinema has exploited underage actors and actresses, along with their government literally being headed by the right-wing party that literally invented fascism, this is appallingly on brand and unsurprising. Disgusting just the same, and a clearly intentional shot at those he’s harmed, but damn.
I assume he gave his speech in an over-the-top faux Southern drawl as usual?