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In 'Guerilla Marketing' Move, Kevin Spacey to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Cannes
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 3 MIN.
Disgraced actor Kevin Spacey will receive a lifetime achievement award from The Better World Fund, "not only for his decades of artistic brilliance but also for his enduring impact on cinema and the arts," MSN reported, quoting from a release by The Better World Fund, which is slated to present the award on May 20.
"The trophy is just the latest in a series of awards the actor has picked up as he attempts to regain a foothold in his career," the news outlet recalled, noting that in 2024 Spacey "was honored with a trophy for a voice role in the 2023 U.K. action thriller 'Control' by the Folkestone Independent Film Awards in addition to receiving Italy's Nations Award for Lifetime Achievement at a special gala in the historic southern Sicilian town of Taormina."
The occasion marks Spacey's return to the esteemed film festival for the first time in almost a decade.
"The two-time Oscar winner was last in Cannes in 2016, when he served as emcee for the amfAR gala and ripped into Donald Trump, then not even the Republican's confirmed presidential nominee," Variety noted.
"Much has happened since, with Trump having been elected twice and Spacey's career nosediving following several allegations of sexual misconduct," the entertainment news outlet added.
Variety called Spacey's Cannes appearance "likely to cause something of a stir," adding: "But that's the whole point. The entire trip – and his receiving of the award – has been orchestrated by the producers of conspiracy thriller 'The Awakening' in which he stars and is being sold at the festival."
An independently produced film, "The Awakening" "was the first movie the actor shot after being cleared of charges in the U.K. in 2023, his last trial," Variety noted.
Producer Matt Hookings said that the casting choice "makes sense. It's not 'House of Cards,' but it's very in line with that kind of character." Hookings referred to Spacey's presence at Cannes as "guerrilla marketing" for the film.
In "House of Cards," Spacey played a politician whose ruthless ambition destroyed political norms – and innocent lives – while elevating him to the White House. He was fired from that Netflix show in 2017 after allegations from actor Anthony Rapp that Spacey acted in a sexually inappropriate way toward him when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 27. Rapp brought suit against Spacey for sexual assault, but lost that case.
Other allegations surfaced after Rapp made his claims, including from three men in Britain who made similar claims. During tearful testimony in a London courtroom in 2023, Spacey denied the allegations against him and told the jury how they had destroyed his acting career as the #MeToo movement gained momentum in the U.S. The jury in that case found Spacey not guilty.
Earlier this year, actor Guy Pearce claimed on a podcast that he had been "targeted" by an "aggressive" Spacey for unwanted attention when they worked together on Curtis Hanson's 1997 thriller "LA Confidential."
Spacey responded in a video message posted to social media, excoriating Pearce's "victim narrative" and telling Pearce to "grow up."
Hookings took credit for proposing the idea of presenting the award to Spacey, Variety relayed.
"A lot of people really like him, so you'll have a lot of people going, 'This is really cool,'" the producer explained. "And then you'll have some people that'll be like, 'What the fuck is he doing here?'"
"But hopefully the people who say, 'What the fuck is he doing,' when they realize why he's here they'll give him a second chance," Hookings added.
A number of Hollywood A-listers, including Sharon Stone, have spoken out in support of Spacey's efforts to resuscitate his career.
MSN quoted The Better World Fund's president, Manuel Collas De La Roche, as saying, "Kevin's extraordinary contributions to the art of cinema have left a mark on audiences and filmmakers alike. His talent, depth and commitment to storytelling exemplify the transformative power of film."
"It is with great excitement that we celebrate his legacy and presence at this meaningful gathering," De La Roche added.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
