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U.S. actor Kevin Spacey made a fiery return to the spotlight at the Cannes Film Festival, delivering a defiant speech during an event hosted by Fund, one of the organizations affiliated with the festival. Channeling the lyrics of his “dear friend” Elton John, Spacey declared, “I’m still standing,” in a moment that left the audience stunned and divided.
The appearance marks one of the first high-profile attempts to pave the way for Spacey’s comeback in Hollywood after years of legal battles and public controversy stemming from multiple sexual misconduct allegations. Despite his recent court acquittal, the allegations effectively erased him from the industry for nearly a decade.
While Spacey did not directly mention the lawsuits or accusations, he pointedly addressed the damage done to his career and reputation. This appearance is also his first time back at Cannes since his legal vindication—an unmistakable signal that the actor is ready to re-enter the public arena, unapologetically.
Kevin Spacey fights back
“Who would have ever thought that honoring someone who has been exonerated in every single courtroom he’s ever walked into would be thought of as a brave idea,” he said in his acceptance speech.
He even went so far as to compare the organization’s decision to that of actor Kirk Douglas, when he decided to support screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted in Hollywood last century.
“Kirk Douglas took the risk and would later say, it’s easy for us actors to play the hero on screen, we get to fight the bad guys and stand up for justice, but in real life, the choices are not always so clear.”
Spacey’s surprise appearance at the Cannes Film Festival was reportedly orchestrated by the producers of his new film, The Awakening , a British independent production about a sinister organization controlling the world. The American actor is the main villain in the production, described as a “conspiracy thriller.”
The producers are looking for a distributor for the film at Cannes, and the pro-Spacey campaign is seeking to draw attention to her.
The Awakening is one of two films Kevin Spacey will appear in this year and the first major production he’s participated in since 2017. That year, accusations against him exploded. To date, 30 men have accused him of inappropriate behavior or sexual harassment. Two of these accusations reached court, one in the United States and one in England. The actor was found not guilty in both trials.
The other is the U.S. historical drama 1780.